Learn Your Lines

by Stephen E. Heiman, Diane Sanchez with Tad Tuleja

Every professional whose work involves public presentation appreciates the importance of rehearsing. Public speakers, actors, athletes, teachers—the best of them spend time practicing their performances over and over without the audience so that when it's time to go on, the work becomes almost automatic. In many cases, success in these fields very often comes not to the person who puts in the most effort during the performance, but to the person who has already put so much into rehearsing that he can manage the performance as if by instinct. Since selling also involves the art of public presentation, the same thing is true here too. But with one important proviso.

We always emphasize that good selling is never a song and dance that you "put on" for your customers. Yes, a good sales call is a kind of performance. But it's a performance in which you and the customer are equally significant to the outcome—one in which her lines are as much a part of the script as anything in your presentation. In fact, the whole point of our Conceptual Selling approach is to interact with each of your customers, rather than to "act" to, at, or in spite of them. In effective selling, you are not simply on stage; indeed, success comes from transcending the performer/audience distinction and establishing dialogue.

This doesn't mean that rehearsing is unimportant to the sales professional. It's extremely important. In fact, running through the possible "lines" of a sales call can be a very productive exercise for you to perform just before you are ready to sit down with the client.

Before you begin your rehearsal, clearly define your Single Sales Objective, that is, determine precisely what you want to have happen in the account that isn't happening right now. It should be very specific: It tells you what you want to be selling, how much of it you want to be selling, and by what date. Remember, that to be realistic, a Single Sales Objective has to be something the individual customer you're calling on can agree with.

Now, take out a notebook and construct a Sales Call Guide. Start by briefly defining the Concept, which is what you believe this individual customer thinks of how your product or service can solve a specific problem for him. Next, determine what Action Commitments you would like to get from the presentation. What specific promise would you like to get from the customer regarding the buy/sell process?

Then, you should state a Valid Business Reason that would encourage this customer to agree to meeting with you. This should be the purpose of the meeting, and it must be a purpose that makes sense to this individual customer. Next, comes the credibility block. Here, you need to assess your credibility with this customer at this time. If you feel that you don't have credibility, ask yourself what you can do on this call to establish it. If the answer to that is "nothing," consider whether it makes sense for you to make the call at this time, or if it would be better to postpone the call and reschedule it as a joint meeting with someone who does have credibility with this individual.

You'll also need to outline your strategy for what we call the three basic phases of the sales call, Getting Information, Giving Information and Getting Commitment. Write down at least:

• One good Confirmation Question—a question that will validate or invalidate information you think you already have;
• At least one good New Information Question—one that will help you update your information, fill in information gaps, resolve discrepancies and/or get other information about this person's desired results;
• At least one good Attitude Question—one that will clarify your understanding of this person's individual values and attitudes. Be sure that it is phrased in a non-threatening manner, so that it will encourage the person to share their feelings;
• And at least one good Commitment Question—a question that will tell you where you are in the selling process and what still needs to be done to move you closer to a Win-Win outcome.

Next, identify your Unique Strengths in this selling scenario with this particular customer. Avoid "strengths" that are merely "me too" strengths, and remember that a difference in degree can also be seen as unique.

Finally, write down some questions on Getting Commitment. Specifically, write down one good question related to your Best Action Commitment and one related to your Minimum Acceptable Action. Next, ask what are the possible Basic Issues that might impede commitment on this upcoming call. Basic Issues are not the root cause of an objection being raised; it has to do with the prospective buyer's feeling that he or she is going to lose. Now, write down at least one Basic Issue question designed to uncover and address the customer's perception that they will lose.

Once you've displayed all the information you have on this Sales Call Guide, you'll have a concise, organized planning tool that focuses on what is actually likely to happen in the call, based on your past experience with this individual.

Adapted from The New Conceptual Selling Stephen E. Heiman, Diane Sanchez with Tad Tuleja © 1999 by Miller Heiman, Inc. All rights reserved with permission of Warner Books. Inc.