Are You a Fireman Always Putting Out Fires?

By Paul DiModica

Salespeople love leads - inbound, tradeshows, networking. Leads, leads and more leads . . . that's all we want. But the management of those leads and how they are handled is important to their sales success.
 
When selling prospects, there are several options to managing the prospect as a lead opportunity. You can reactively put out the obvious fires they have identified for you (like a fireman) or you can act as an advisor and sell them safety in a proactive approach.

Take the Fireman Sales Test

1.   When discussing your business value with a prospect, do you only talk about how your offering can help the problem they currently admit to and verbalize?

Yes ___ No___
 

2.   When a prospect tells you they are not interested in your offering, do you ever suggest problems that could happen if they don't buy?
 
Yes ___ No___
 

3.   Does your average gross margin per sale go down at the end of the month or quarter?
 
Yes ___ No___
 

4.   Do you believe prospects know what they need to buy?
 
Yes ___ No___
 
 
5.   Do you believe prospects know how to buy correctly?
 
Yes ___ No___
 

6.   Do you believe prospects should "like" you in order to buy?
 
Yes ___ No___
 
 
7.   Do you believe relationships start before the first sale?
 
Yes ___ No___
 
 
8.   Is your sales closing ratio higher when the prospect tells you they have a business problem?
 
Yes ___ No___
 
 
9.   Do you treat prospects and customers the same way?
 
Yes ___ No___
 
 
10.   Can you name 5 specific business outcomes that would happen to your prospect if they do not buy from you?
 
Yes ___ No___
 
 
Correct Answers
 
    1. No
    2. Yes
    3. No
    4. No
    5. No
    6. No
    7. No
    8. Yes
    9. No
  10. Yes


Fireman Sales Test Analysis of Answers

1. When discussing your business value with a prospect, do you only talk about how your offering can help the problem they currently admit to and verbalize?

If you are truly a strategic or trusted advisor, sometimes you need to give advice on areas that the prospect needs help with, even if it makes them uncomfortable.

2. When a prospect tells you they are not interested in your offering, do you ever suggest problems that could happen if they don't buy?

Prospects don't always know how to buy correctly. It is your job as a professional salesperson to tell them what could happen if they don't buy.

3. Does your average gross margin per sale go down at the end of the month or quarter?

When you are in a weak sales position because you have pulled your business value behind you, you end up giving away more margin.

4. Do you believe prospects know what they need to buy?

Prospects see problems from their perspective and sometimes have limited vision on how to fix their problems. True strategic salespeople try to fix all business problems, even the ones the the prospect cannot see.

5. Do you believe prospects know how to buy correctly?

Come on - if you have been selling more than 90 days, you know some prospects are uneducated buyers and make mistakes during the sales buying process.

6. Do you believe prospects should "like" you in order to buy?

Another old fallacy left over from antiquated sales methodologies. Prospects just have to respect you . . . not like you. Management buys from salespeople who fix their business problems . . . not salespeople who take them to ball games.

7. Do you believe relationships start before the first sale?

In commodity-based sales (logistics, IT, professional services, etc.) relationships start after the second sale.

8. Is your sales closing ratio higher when the prospect tells you they have a business problem?

The more you know about the business drivers of why your prospect will buy - the more apt you are to educate them about the value of your offering to close more deals. Prospect knowledge and closing ratio move lock-in-step.

9. Do you treat prospects and customers the same way?

Treating prospects who don't know your value the same way you treat customers who should know your value is an incorrect sales process.

10. Can you name 5 specific business outcomes that would happen to your prospect if they do not buy from you?

Consequence management is an important technique to close sales from prospects who don't know how to buy correctly. The more you know - the more you will sell.

 
"If you want to succeed you should strikeout on the new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success." - John D. Rockefeller


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Rick Erling
President  The CxO Group, LLC and Publisher of The CxO News
www.thecxogroup.com
info@thecxogroup.com
(972) 727-6880