Image Licensed via Wikipedia Creative Commons - Chris Alger
I was on a recent family trip and we had the pleasure of taking our children out for an afternoon on kayaks. We had a couple of double kayaks. Each vessel had one adult and one child. The adults were in the rear, and the children took the front seats. I observed some great parallels to business development and sales:
- No matter how strongly I rowed, if my son decided to drag his oar in the water, it was incredibly disruptive. He made us turn in circles. I simply could not get where I wanted to go without his cooperation
- If he was neutral (kept his oar out of the water), I could make forward progress.
- If we coordinated our strokes together and agreed on our course, we blew past the competition (even though my wife and daughter didn’t know it was a race).
- If I stopped to take a break from rowing, my son felt it was his job to row, which would be great except when he was rowing he felt it was necessary to plot an entirely new course.
Working with clients and prospects appears quite similar.
- If you want to get someplace, you are not likely to get there if they don’t share your vision for the destination.
- If some of the members of the client’s team are neutral and not working against you, you can still reach your intended destination. But, all it takes is one oar in the water to get you spinning in circles.
- If your efforts are coordinated, you can reach your destination (a.k.a. successful sale) faster than otherwise.
- If you don’t lead the process, rest assured that someone else will pick up an oar and plot a new course… and you may not like the trip or the destination.
Be sure to take the time to jointly develop a vision for what you client needs, and see what you can do to encourage them to row along with you. Above all, if you don’t continue to play the role of captain, don’t be surprised if you end up on a different course (potentially with sharks).
Thank you to my son for illustrating some valuable lessons during a great adventure.
Some friends of mine just returned from spending a month in Florida. While in Florida, they (Richard and Cindy) attended a golf clinic about chipping. He is a long-time golfer, whereas she more recently took up the game. Though they both enjoyed the clinic, they realized different results. Richard thought the clinic was interesting, and decided that he would think about it during his rounds of golf. Cindy, on the other hand, decided to spend some time each day practicing the specific drills taught during the clinic. Something interesting happened: Cindy got really good at chipping. Richard, who was always a pretty good player, did not make as much progress. By the end of the month, Cindy became a consistently good chipper. In fact, Richard confided in me that Cindy, despite being a new golfer, was chipping more consistently than he was.
Sharks have to move forward in order to survive. Otherwise, their gills don’t work. Similarly, businesses that don’t grow can stall and end up in decline.
While on vacation, my wife and I agreed to a brief timeshare presentation. In my field, think of it as getting a front-row ticket to a spectator sport.
I was with my 10 year-old son the other day. He was on his way to get himself a glass of water and I asked “Would you mind bringing me a glass, too?” He asked “What do I get if I do?” I replied “If the only reason you are getting it is to get something in return, then don’t bother – I’ll get it myself.”
Scott is an accomplished real estate professional. He has closed individual deals that have put millions of dollars into his own pocket. He brings a tremendous amount of experience, expertise, and advice to his clients. He knows more about the inner workings of a real estate transaction than just about anyone on the planet. He has been courting a large client for the past eighteen months.
I was speaking with the managing partner, Chris, of a regional accounting firm about their marketing, sales, and business development. The partners decided that they wanted to revamp their website. Specifically, they wanted to make their site catchy with new graphics, layout, and perhaps a logo. The in-house IT resource thought it should have slick animation. The business manager thought the website should list all of their service areas. It is common for firms to focus on the bells and whistles instead of the content. Unfortunately, if you focus on the sizzle instead of the steak, your prospects will visit the site and leave hungry for something with meaning.
At a recent presentation at a conference, I met Dianne, an accomplished salesperson. She sells specialty paper products. She has a masterful ability to engage her potential clients in a consultative process to establish value and earn higher margins than her competition. She commented to me, however, that once the first order is placed, she ends up getting redirected to the purchasing people for reorders. Even though she earned a good profit margin on the initial order, Dianne consistently gets pressure from the purchasing people who no longer see what she does as anything but a commodity. She asked me “Even when I earn the initial sale by following a consultative process, how can I prevent the reorders from being relegated to a transaction where it is all about price?” 
