Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Sales Blog Book Club: Trust-Based Selling by Charles Green Pt. 1

I recently joined an online book club hosted by Anthony Iannarino of http://www.thesalesblog.com fame. The first book on the reading list is Trust-based Selling by Charles H. Green. This post is a copy of my comments on the first 7 chapters posted for the book club. Enjoy!

Here are my thoughts ok the first 7 chapters. I am probably unique in this conversation in that I work in a very specific industry of b2b sales--the automotive sales industry. That being said, I cannot think of a more fitting book for a car salesman to read! The ideas in here are utterly paradigm shifting if not a little idealistic for my industry. Here are my takeaways:

• On page 11 Charlie mentions the Acid-test of trust in selling. I realize that referring a customer to a competitor is a last resort and I also realize that it would be a vivid indicator of me truly having the customer's interests at heart. However, how do possibly justify such a practice to management. Maybe it's because of the specific buying process/cycle of my industry, but I can't imagine in my wildest dreams my manager putting a rubber stamp on sending a customer somewhere else. If we can't help the customer, isn't it our job in sales to convince the customer that we can--regardless of what they say?

• On page 26, Charlie writes what I think is the most profound statement of the book: "the relationship is the customer." It does something psychologically to me as a salesman to see the customer as an end rather than the means. I don't know how effective this is in actually producing results in my industry quite yet but, as I've put it into practice, it sure makes me feel better about myself. I've been hammered, since starting in sales, to drive toward closure. That agenda has now taken on new meaning. The sale is not the close. It is a means to the close. The long-term relationship I have with the customer is the close. This is a downright revolutionary thought for me. I now find myself calling and following up with people who didn't buy from me because I care about our relationship and still want to know how satisfied they were even if I didn't sell them. This is a great and much-appreciated thought.

• On page 45, Charlie discusses the trust-equation. I've read other books on trust that have included credibility, reliability, and (by other names) intimacy, but the notion of self-orientation seems new to me. Here's the equation: Trust = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy / Self-orientation. Thus, self-orientation is the denominator. If I am the most competent, knowledgeable, personable salesperson in the business, it doesn't mean anything if the customer can see that I am in it for myself. This is so true. I believe that true customer-focus, the opposite of self-orientation, is everything Charlie says it is. My question is, "How can I break the stereotype?" How can I get a customer to see me as anything but self-interested? Sometimes, it seems as if there is nothing I can do to change the denominator. What are your thoughts?

• At the very end of page 65, Charlie gives a short list of practices that indicate a lack of collaboration with the customer. Number 5 on that list I find to be all too true: "You discuss with your team what the customer really wants, rather than asking the client directly." I cannot count how many times I've personally fallen into this trap. When the customer leaves or gets off the phone, I start venting to the salesperson next to me--coming up with all kinds of assumptions about why the customer behaved the way they did. When I should be qualifying the customer, I am often qualifying another salesperson about the customer! I think that the reason for this, though, is my own fear. I'm afraid to ask the customer questions. I'm afraid of the answers I may get. Yet, I realize that this fear forces me into being combative rather than collaborative. When I talk with other salespeople, it's like I'm conspiring against the customer. If I just pick up the phone and call, I am sending a signal to both myself and the customer that we are on the same team.

Those are the key takeaways that I noted as I was reading. Of course, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Trust-based Selling is full of cool stuff! I am delighted and priveleged to be introduced to such a potentially life-altering work. Trust (especially in my industry) should never be considered an afterthought. It is foundational. This book is a spectacular reminder of that fact.

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