Taking "No" For An Answer
“He/she won’t take no
for an answer” is something many of us will have heard said of those whom we
know (and may even like).
Sometimes it’s said with admiration to describe someone who
keeps going until they get what they want.
At others, though, it means someone who simply won't understand that
they’re being a nuisance…
Sales staff need a thick skin to be able to handle rejection,
otherwise no sales. For them, the
inability to “take no for an answer” can be the difference between success and
failure for their business. Only a
certain type of personality can take rejection and still try again and again
until they succeed.
There are two sides to this.
One is the understanding that perhaps your pitch wasn’t right, that you
failed to spot that vital clue, missed that vital need or stressed the wrong thing. Good sales people refine their art and
generally end up with more successes than defeats.
The other is the annoying refusal to understand that,
however good your product or service (in your eyes), the client doesn't
want/can’t afford/doesn't need it. In
this situation, it’s best to cut your losses and look for more rewarding
prospects. This time, it didn’t work
out. Who knows, maybe six months down
the line, things will have changed in your favour?
The ability to understand when to “back off and regroup” is
just as important to good sales people as the ability to push for the
close. By backing off, you preserve the
client’s goodwill and trust. By continually pestering them, you may end up with a sale “just to get rid of you”, but
you’ll find future opportunities will vanish after that.
What’s the best thing to do?
I’ve found that being sensitive and looking for signals (both “active”
and “passive”) are the best clue.
Clients give away as much by not
acting as by acting.
Competition is increasing, customer loyalty is more
fleeting. “Lose the battle, win the war”
may be the most appropriate strategy here…
I have spent more than half my life delivering
change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging”
economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around
the world running different operations
and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to offer solutions for
improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses,
charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An
international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Customer Care, Selling, Strategy
Abdicating, Controlling And Interfering
As a manager or
leader, we often have to judge how much we need to “manage” our team to ensure people
perform at their best and that our “product” exceeds customer demands.
It’s a fine line deciding how much you need to be
“there”. As a manager, you're answerable
for people and performance. What I’ve
found over the years is that different people need to be managed in different
ways. Some are great left to get on with
things by themselves and produce fantastic results. Others need closer attention.
What I’ve seen too often is the manager who can't
distinguish between:
Abdicating:
This style means that the manager completely lets go. The phrase used is “I trust my people to get
on with it.” As long as he/she has
communicated clearly what their goal is, how they’re expected to reach it, what
resources they can rely on and what to do in case of problems, this may
work. It takes a good leader to train up
their people and to master the art of communication in such a way that they can
literally leave them to “get on with it”.
Too often one sees leaders abandoning their team to fend for themselves,
with potentially disastrous consequences.
Controlling:
This is the “Happy Medium”.
The manager’s in control, but not interfering. He/she knows what’s going on, at what stage
the project is, what the issues are and the measures being taken to resolve any
problems. The team feels that they’re
free to act within prescribed limits and that, if there’s a problem, they can
go for help.
Interfering:
The extreme of “controlling” and polar opposite of “abdicating”
where the leader decides that they must be intimately involved in every process
or detail. Often known as
“micro-managing”, this situation sees the team feeling that their leader is
constantly breathing down their neck and that they have no room for
initiative. A feeling of not being
trusted or that the leader lacks confidence in their abilities is the norm.
In the end, it boils down to:
- The sensitivity or importance of the task at hand;
- The knowledge, experience and problem-solving skills of your
people;
- How you delegate;
- Your understanding that, whatever happens, you remain accountable for the outcome.
The word “accountable” means “answerable for”. Many people take time to understand that, just
because they delegate responsibility,
they don't delegate accountability. The abdicator is usually most guilty of this,
whilst the interfering leader keeps the responsibility for the task in hand.
The happy medium is to ensure that people are trained in
their role and in problem-solving within their abilities. Some will develop faster than others (the
“high flyers”), but it doesn't mean that the rest need an “interfering”
leadership style, just they they haven’t yet reached the independence stage as
quickly as others.
I have spent more than half my life
delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to
“emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial
services around the world running
different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to
offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk
management. I work with individuals,
small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across
the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be
contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of
services. For strategic questions that
you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.Labels: Career, Leadership, Teamwork
Hold, Fold, Walk Away or Run?
I’ve recently been negotiating a deal with an organisation that needs help and the skills that I can provide. It’s been a good review of how I go about assessing client needs, how I react to stimuli and finally, on how far to go to accommodate people.
This client clearly had a need that I knew I could satisfy and had approached me (not the other way round). My method when negotiating with a client follows this pattern:
- Get the client to describe their problem or need;
- Understand what the client’s problem really is (I may have to re-state it);
- Get the client to articulate what they think is the solution;
- Understand why they think that is the solution - I may agree, otherwise I…
- Guide the client to what they really need based on careful analysis;
- Agree the specifics or deliverables with them;
- Agree price.
I have to make sure I’m talking to the person who makes the decisions and has the authority to commit (money). If the person I’m talking to keeps saying that they have to refer to their boss or to a committee, I ask to speak directly to that person as in the end it saves time and I also get an idea of any other constraints operating on the client which helps me to tailor a better solution.
If I don’t find out the problem, what they think the solution is, what the solution actually is and any constraints, I won’t be able to quote a price that works for the client and me. In other words, the “Win-Win” situation remains elusive.
As we negotiated over the course of the month (the “hold” part), despite agreeing on the solution, the client kept introducing new problems and changing the deliverables, leaving me unable to finalise price. In the end, it turned out that the to whom person I was talking didn't have the authority and was reporting to a committee who kept changing their minds, and therefore the deliverables that they needed.
In short, we couldn't nail down specifics, so I couldn't quote a firm price. They kept asking for lower pricing, which made me start wondering whether the solution was the issue or price. I started wondering how serious they were. This was the point at which I started thinking it might be time to “fold”. Warning sign: client starting to “nickel and dime” means they may not be focused on the solution.
Luckily, I found out what their budget was, so I was able to propose a solution that worked out at slightly below budget. I sent them a revised specification with a week in which to respond.
The client missed the deadline and then came back with a further significant change. I sent out what I could agree to and the cost of follow-up that would apply. This deal was now taking time, but resulting in no progress. I could have been spending that time more profitably selling to others. It was at this point that I decided that it was time to draw a line and that I had to “walk away”.
When negotiating with others, we often focus on getting the business at any cost, without really considering what it means for us. My time in customer service and relationship management showed me time and time again that, when the warning signs appear, it might be time to walk away. Who knows, when the opposite party sees you're prepared to do this, they may realise what they’re missing.
Successful organisations have clear guidelines on what counts (for them) as “good” business. It may be as simple as “We must make at least a 20% margin”. This experience certainly made me reconsider my own “guidelines”.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Financial, Selling, Strategy
