Ask and you shall receive
Published January 2008
Wouldn't it be fantastic if all you had to do was ask for something and everyone agreed? Life would be so much easier, especially for someone involved in selling. Sadly, it isn't quite like that, is it? And it's not just getting the customers to say yes which is the problem. For most of us, being successful at selling also means getting people within our own organisation to support our efforts. Whether we need management agreement to a discount, or the production department to accept a tight deadline, getting people to support us is crucial if we are to win all the business we should.
Success in major sales is very much a team effort, where the salesperson needs to adopt the role of team leader, ensuring that everyone plays their part in winning the business. At Huthwaite we use the term "Living Sales®" to encapsulate both the concept of the team sale and the need for the whole team to be customer focused at all times, no matter what their internal role might be. Few salespeople receive training to help them with team leadership, but developing these skills can make a real difference to performance.
Many of the managers and salespeople attending our negotiation skills programmes tell us that getting internal support for the negotiation plan, or for the resulting agreement, can be even harder than negotiating with the customer. We have also witnessed the difficulties some people experience in expressing their views in internal meetings, and the even greater difficulty they have in getting them accepted. Clearly, having excellent selling skills isn't enough to guarantee success in any situation where we need other people to help us clinch the deal.
But these internal interactions needn't be so difficult; there are skills models that can help us be more successful in any internal situation. While Huthwaite is best known for the research we have conducted into selling and negotiation skills, our research has also focused on internal meetings and interactions. As a result we have developed skill models including, for example, chairing meetings, handling difficult people and situations, and the most effective persuasion style to adopt for different circumstances.
Did you know, for example, that the most effective way to chair a meeting is to seek other people's views rather than express your own? Then to check responses carefully, so you understand exactly what has been said, before summarising the position for the benefit of all at the meeting. Skilled people are also less likely to openly disagree with the views being expressed in meetings, taking a more neutral stance to encourage open discussion.
When it comes to persuasion, the most effective style depends upon the circumstances, especially how much power and control you have over events. Where you don't have the power to force others to accept your views you may indeed find it's better to ask for help, rather than demand it, if you want to receive a positive response. Of course, the real skill lies in asking the right questions and knowing how to use the answers.
If you want to know more about any aspect of internal meetings or interactions, why not read our overviews on Developing Core Interactive Skills or simply email us and one of our consultants will contact you. Improving your internal persuasion skills might just help you to win more of the business you should.
