Hey! I’ve been there and if you don’t go there, you’re not trying! Maybe together we can perform autopsies on some of the situations you find yourself in. Send me your scenarios and you and I will dissect the situations to see if, next time, you have a  better feeling for what you Woulda’, Coulda’, Shoulda’ done, or Now What?

While I’m waiting for your examples, we’ll use the experience of another of my coachees from decades past. You're the medical examiner! Do a thorough autopsy on Tom's sales process and send me your thoughts. 👉 [email protected] 

Ghosts in the Water!
Tom sells water treatment hardware and chemicals residentially and commercially in a rural area of upstate New York. After being introduced to the owner of a restaurant chain, he scheduled an appointment to meet with the facilities director of the chain.

One of Tom’s favorite parts of the job is the equipment he sells that is state of the art. As he says, it almost sells itself. (You can probably guess some of the problems already.)

Tom has a simulated, working model of the system that would be installed to fix the problems with poor water quality. When meeting with George, the facilities director, Tom takes the model with him. Curious about the device, George immediately asks Tom to show him how it works. Tom does.

Although they had scheduled longer, the demo lasts about 20 minutes and, just when Tom suggests that he run a test on the water, which is usually the first thing he does, George gets a call and must run out to put-out a company fire. He is very enthusiastic about the model’s operation and says he’s sure it’s something the boss would want to see. He asks Tom to leave the model so he can show it to the boss. Tom agrees on the condition that he could pick-it-up one of the next days. George agrees!

Tom calls the next day to pick up the model; George is unavailable. The following day, when Tom calls, he catches George and is dismayed to find that the model is being shuttled from one restaurant to another so each manager can get a look. It'll be back in George’s hands after the weekend, which means Tom can pick-it-up on Monday, and they schedule a time to meet.

When they meet, George enthusiastically returns the model to Tom and Tom suggests they do a water test. (It’s sure to uncover some drastic problems with the water supply George is currently using.) Again, there’s a reason why there’s no time. George reassures Tom that they really have established a good relationship, and he’s sure they’ll be outfitting 3 or 4 of their 7 restaurants. Tom is to call the next day to set a time for the tests.

Tom leaves happy! The possibilities are music to his ears!

Tom calls at the appointed time. George says there’s good news. Tom doesn’t have to do the tests. One of the manager’s had his brother-in-law do the tests. The managers are gonna’ meet next week to speak about the issue of water treatment. George is sure they’ll be calling Tom to see about what happens next.

As of yesterday, it’s been 4 weeks since Tom and George have spoken!

With the SAYA system as a model:

1. What’s the first mistake Tom made? Why?
2. What was the result of George’s enthusiasm about the model? How did that affect the overall sales process?
3. Having the model circulate to the other restaurant managers sounds like a good idea. What would you have thought about that?
4. What do you think is the impact felt by Tom when he didn’t do a water test?
5. What about the “good news” that the brother-in-law of one of the other managers tests the water?
6. You’re Tom. When George says he’s sure they’ll be calling about what’s next, 1) what’s your reaction and 2) what would you do when the call doesn’t come?
7. Not to be a buzzkill… how do you feel about all of the compliments George is giving Tom? “Tom leaves happy!” So?

What do you think? 👉 [email protected]