Disclaimer: This is not about guns or gun control - I am
well aware of the sensitivity of this particular subject. The illustration I am
using here is an analogy to help paint a picture and to help people better
understand the concept. Haters gonna hate, and I really can’t help that. Please
take the time to get past the shallowness of knee jerk reaction to the initial
thoughts and emotion that come with your reaction to guns, gun control and similar
subjects. This is NOT what this is about. This illustration could use darts,
arrows, those little ping-pong balls with Velcro strips on them (and a felt
target), and anything else that requires you to hit a target dead center (but
that is not my point of reference - I went with what I knew – so try to let it
go!)
Here goes: For those who have been in the military or have
gone through formal weapon/arms training this will click immediately. For
others the analogy will take a bit more, but I believe the connections will get
there for sure. When I was in the army, one of the most basic sections of my
basic training was basic rifle marksmanship (BRM). I have learned that there
are some lessons in BRM that apply really well to sales that I am going to
share here.
BRM starts with the four fundamentals; steady position,
aiming, breath control, and trigger squeeze. How do these compare to what we do
in sales? Good question, I am glad you asked that. First let’s talk about a key
to BRM and a key to sales. A key to sales is that we need to be accurate and we
need to have 100% perfect timing. Accuracy, meaning hit right where the
customer has the most pains and timing should be when they have the available
budget. There is a great and easy to remember model called BANT (Budget,
Authority, Need and Timing) that illustrates this. Do they have the budget? Are
you working with the person with the authority to make the purchase? Have you
uncovered the compelling need or pains? And is your timing right (are they in a
buying season/cycle)? This can help us with our BRM concept because BRM
training is used to prepare soldiers for combat and accuracy and timing are of
paramount importance there.
The fundamentals of BRM are steady position, aim, breath
control, and trigger squeeze. To understand how I map the fundamentals of BRM
to sales, it will help to understand one of the sales models that I have
recently developed. It is important to say that I have never really developed a
sales model per se. To me, sales models just seem to happen and then they are
documented and optimized, then we repeat the best portions of them and combine
a few until we have a catchy way of presenting it to others. I developed this
one after observing and documenting some of AV’s best sales people and
categorizing what makes them the best in their industry. I call this one On
Target Selling. The concept is that there are four major characteristics that
make up high performance sales people. They follow process, know stuff, relate
and deliver results. The concept of the 4 quadrants is that if a sales person
were to plot their skills in the quadrants, the goal would be to hit the
bullseye. If you are not On Target, then your development path is to grow in
the quadrants that will lead you closer to being On Target. See illustration
for more details:
In the above illustration (the 4 quadrants of On Target
Selling), I am showing the key characteristics of a high performance sales
person. In this model, I first show (bottom left) that I believe a high
performance sales person exhibits the characteristics of performance by
achieving their target numbers and developing accounts for the long haul. They
also follow process (top left) by using established pricing models and
creatively implement programs to meet margin goals. High performers also have a
high level of knowledge of their products, the market and solutions and systems
(top right). Lastly (but not necessarily in order), high performers are great
relationship builders, have great rapport and empathy (bottom right).
How do the fundamentals of BRM map to the quadrants in the
On Target Selling model? Another great question. I am glad you asked. Let’s
breakdown steady position, aiming, breath control, and trigger squeeze and how
they fit into the On Target sales model:
Steady position is well worded for this because we are
actually using it as the analogy for how we position ourselves in the market.
Before you are ready to fire (pull the trigger in sales) you must make sure
your pricing and programs match the customer’s needs. Are you selling to the
right customer? I like to use three categories to make sure this is on track.
Power, Preference, and Influence are these three categories. Have I covered all
three of these categories? Then I likely have a steady position. If I have only
covered power, then the possibility of someone of influence changing their mind
(the IT guy coming in late and changing the spec) can lose me my deal. This
would be showing I did not have a steady position.
Aiming gives us the example of being specific and focused.
As a sales person, I have caught myself having finished a meeting with a
feeling of great accomplishment. The meeting (in my mind) went really well. We
had great rapport and the customer seemed to genuinely want to do business with
me. After I returned to my office and started my trip report and got to the
“subject” portion of the report I realized I may have made a great connection,
but I neglected to use my knowledge of products and solutions to discuss the
topics we needed to discuss (my products). At some point, it has to become
about aiming the conversations and relationship towards to goal of selling or
solutions.
Breath control the balance required to stay calm and not
rush. This is a relationship and not all about the close. Take the time to
breath and control the sale. No need to rush to close, but rather walk to
solving problems and build towards the long term. But, if you wait too long
even the customer gets antsy. Also, focus on the term breath control, not hold
your breath. This is not stop everything and risk passing out. This is pace
yourself and set a rhythm.
Trigger squeeze is the culmination of it all, but in BRM it
is never one and done. It is about making sure you can fire again. Is the
weapon well maintained? Did it jam? Did you squeeze the trigger and not pull or
jerk it so as to be able to re-acquire your target and re-fire (make another
proposal) if needed. It is squeeze not pull, so that you have a much better
chance to not inadvertently change your aim (or for sales if you make your
first proposal methodically and well detailed you will remain on target). You
should also make your proposals (trigger squeeze) part of a flow and part of
the rhythm of your sales process (breath control).
On target Selling, like BRM, requires practice. Moreover it
is best done (like in the military or other places) with training, coaching and
lots of feedback. In the case of BRM in the military, trainers are certified
and they are assessed regularly. The bar is set very high for military
marksmanship trainers. The major attributes of marksmanship trainers for the
military are: knowledge, patience, understanding consideration, respect, and
encouragement. These same attributes should be held by AV sales trainers. If
you are looking for someone with these attributes to help get your team trained
up as a team of expert marksman (making them a Sniper Sales Force) using the On
Target Selling model and with 20 years of sales training expertise contact us
today at max@gravitationtech.com or 775-MAX-AVIT.
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