As salespeople, we get really excited when we think we have a chance to “hit a home run,” a.k.a. make a big sale. The issue is sometimes that excitement might cause us to skip steps in our usual process and not truly identify the right product, or volume of product for our customer. I have seen many salespeople think they are about to hit a home run and then strike out with nothing to show for it. The reason for that is probably because the salesperson tried to shove something down the customer’s throat that would help them hit their quota, but wasn’t focused enough on the customer’s goal.
This is what I like to call swinging blindly for the home run. However, if you can follow your process and swing for the fences, the hope would be that even if you don’t get a home run, you will generally at least get a base hit (or a smaller sale).
Below is what I have found to be a best practice for showing home run ideas:
1. Do you know the customer’s objectives? If yes, go to #2. If not, find out.
2. Would this home run idea help them reach and exceed their objectives?
- If yes, go to #3.
- If not, don’t show the idea. Start over. #everymeetingisafirst (Every Meeting Is A First)
3. Do you believe they are qualified to see the home run idea?
- If yes, go to #4.
- If not, don’t show the home run idea. Show a smaller idea/investment that is still focused on their objectives.
4. Will you have an opportunity to present this idea to them either in person or via video call?
- If yes, go to #5.
- If the answer is no, I don’t believe it’s worth showing. If you are about to show this huge idea to a customer and they can’t give you an hour to talk through it, I don’t think you are going to get the answer you want. One of my big hesitations is often these huge idea presentations take a lot of time, effort, and collaboration from others on your team. If the customer isn’t willing to give you time on their calendar it’s not fair to ask your team to give time on theirs.
5. When presenting:
- Re-confirm objectives
- Reset why these ideas will help them reach/exceed their objectives
- If they are excited about the possibility of this, there are a few things you MUST do after the presentation:
– Get a full understanding of their excitement and why they’re excited.
– Make sure they understand if there is going to be a heavy lift from their company to do this. It should be a partnership, not a one-way sale.
– Make sure they understand the dollars that will be involved on their end, and they are comfortable discussing further at that dollar amount.
– If they are unsure about the investment level, now is the time to ask questions, pivot to the ideas they are excited about, and decide on an investment level that meets their comfort level.
Now, re-read 1-5. This is crucial. All big ideas seem great, but we need to be disciplined enough to not skip steps in our normal process because we get too excited about the sale. Our excitement should remain on the fact that this big of an idea can help our customers win…not us! I would encourage you to look back at the homerun presentations you have shown in the past. Did you have a plan in place that led to a customer investing with you? Or did you strike out? If the latter, try revisiting steps 1-5 before you present in the future and…swing for the fences, because everyone loves the long ball
