12 You Sell Change

Come to the edge, he said.

They said, we are afraid.

Come to the edge, he said.

They came.

He pushed them . . . and they flew.

—Guillaume Apollinaire

Companies need to change. People need to change. The list of

maxims and sayings that make the point would fill a book

longer than this one.

_ “Without change, the world will pass you by.”

_ “If you are not changing faster than the environment,

the end is definitely in sight.”

_ “What was good enough to get us where we are will

not be good enough to get us where we need to go.”

When it comes to prospecting, and to selling in general,

two things are especially relevant about change.

_ People and companies need to change.

_ People and companies HATE to change.

TIP: The challenge isn’t just to help the customer

solve a problem. It’s also to help them through a

change.

Why is this so important? Because no matter what products

or services your company has to offer, every time you

contact a prospect the thing you are selling represents some

kind of change.

Here is the most useful and productive attitude with

which a Knock Your Socks Off prospector can approach the

thorny issue of change:

The Change Seven

1. This company/buyer needs to change.

2. They hate change.

3. I can probably help them change and get what they really

want.

4. They first have to recognize they need to change.

5. They then need a solution to make the change happen.

6. They need to see the value in changing.

7. How can I help them?

This is a world apart from a prospecting approach that begins

with, “Hey, whatever I’m selling, they need it.” The seven

statements on that list are “pulling” the buyer toward a desired

goal. The “Hey, they need it” approach is pushing the

buyer. And nobody wants to deal with a pushy salesperson.

The thing that every successful salesperson is really selling,

always, is a change that adds value to the customer’s current

situation.

From Here to There

Every prospect we call upon has a current way of doing

things—a current process. They’re usually pretty happy with

this process; otherwise, they’d have changed it before now.

They have something that works. They’re getting a reasonable

return on their investment in it. That’s why the graph shows

that the “current process” line is going up (Figure 12-1).

The “value solution” line on the graph represents the

thing you believe you can do to help these people. The difference

between what they are doing now and what they can do

if they change is the “value difference.” Your job is to help

them come up with metrics—guesses, if necessary—about

what that value difference would be worth to them.

Figure 12-1. Value solution process.

This isn’t an alien process for them. They’re constantly

looking for value differences already. They are reengineering,

changing processes, retooling, and upgrading all the time.

Your goal is help them see—and quantify—the value difference

that your solution has to offer.

Use change as a lever to get into these companies and start

the ball rolling. Someone has to start it, so why not you?

Come to the edge, he said.

They said, we are afraid.

Come to the edge, he said.

They came.

He pushed them . . . and they flew.

—Guillaume Apollinaire

Companies need to change. People need to change. The list of

maxims and sayings that make the point would fill a book

longer than this one.

_ “Without change, the world will pass you by.”

_ “If you are not changing faster than the environment,

the end is definitely in sight.”

_ “What was good enough to get us where we are will

not be good enough to get us where we need to go.”

When it comes to prospecting, and to selling in general,

two things are especially relevant about change.

_ People and companies need to change.

_ People and companies HATE to change.

TIP: The challenge isn’t just to help the customer

solve a problem. It’s also to help them through a

change.

Why is this so important? Because no matter what products

or services your company has to offer, every time you

contact a prospect the thing you are selling represents some

kind of change.

Here is the most useful and productive attitude with

which a Knock Your Socks Off prospector can approach the

thorny issue of change:

The Change Seven

1. This company/buyer needs to change.

2. They hate change.

3. I can probably help them change and get what they really

want.

4. They first have to recognize they need to change.

5. They then need a solution to make the change happen.

6. They need to see the value in changing.

7. How can I help them?

This is a world apart from a prospecting approach that begins

with, “Hey, whatever I’m selling, they need it.” The seven

statements on that list are “pulling” the buyer toward a desired

goal. The “Hey, they need it” approach is pushing the

buyer. And nobody wants to deal with a pushy salesperson.

The thing that every successful salesperson is really selling,

always, is a change that adds value to the customer’s current

situation.

From Here to There

Every prospect we call upon has a current way of doing

things—a current process. They’re usually pretty happy with

this process; otherwise, they’d have changed it before now.

They have something that works. They’re getting a reasonable

return on their investment in it. That’s why the graph shows

that the “current process” line is going up (Figure 12-1).

The “value solution” line on the graph represents the

thing you believe you can do to help these people. The difference

between what they are doing now and what they can do

if they change is the “value difference.” Your job is to help

them come up with metrics—guesses, if necessary—about

what that value difference would be worth to them.

Figure 12-1. Value solution process.

This isn’t an alien process for them. They’re constantly

looking for value differences already. They are reengineering,

changing processes, retooling, and upgrading all the time.

Your goal is help them see—and quantify—the value difference

that your solution has to offer.

Use change as a lever to get into these companies and start

the ball rolling. Someone has to start it, so why not you?