Do you have a stuck deal or are you trying to save or win back a previously lost account? We’ve all been there. As a salesperson, I know very well that it is not in my nature to bring others into my sale. After all I am a professional and I like to be in control. Has this stubbornness cost me deals? Well … maybe. Tim Sander’s message is simple. If you want to conquer the toughest sales challenges .. don’t go down alone.
Looking back, I may have attempted dealstorming (collaborated with others) in the past. Generally, it was in a state of panic and confusion and the whole exercise roughly resembled what monkeys are rumored to do with footballs. What is really great about Tim’s book is that now we have a documented 7-step process that has been designed to close more high value deals, within an abbreviated sales cycle, and one that can be successfully replicated whenever needed. From the press release …[Tweet “If you want to conquer the toughest sales challenges .. don’t go down alone.”]
- Qualify – Assess the challenge, and calculate the resources necessary to solve the problem.
- Organize – Assemble a team with unique perspectives on the sale.
- Prepare – Brief your team on the details of the challenge.
- Convene – Bring your team together in a tightly-facilitated, goal-oriented meeting.
- Execute – Carry out the solutions uncovered from the meeting.
- Analyze – Determine whether it worked; repeat steps 2-5 if necessary.
- Report – Inform your team of success, use new knowledge on future deals.
If dealstorming sounds a lot like brainstorming, the similarities end with the names. This is not to say that dealstorming does not encourage free thinking, going outside the box. It does. However, it does so within the confines of a specific plan, objectives for each stage, and the necessary preparation and follow-up to ensure that the whole exercise will move forward to completion whether that be a successful sale or the carefully considered decision to step away.
Selling, and particularly those projects involving higher value opportunities, has clearly evolved and it has become much more difficult to succeed. Yesterday’s easily identified decision makers have been replaced by multiple points of contact and each with their own, and often diverse, sets of buying criteria. Any of these entities, if not properly discovered and assuaged (often with the help of an inside champion and a mentor/sage), can easily derail your project.
While selling has always been a contact sport, today it more than resembles an old-school hockey match. Dealstorming is certainly best designed for complex high-ticket deals but, that is not to say that smaller deals should not be utilizing these strategies. In fact, Tim provides a very simple formula with only two variables (value x difficulty = resource scale = # of team members) in order to determine the optimum size for a dealstorming team for a specific challenge.
Roles and responsibilities for each team member are clearly defined as is choosing each person needed, the right person, to play each role. Roadblocks to progress and success, and how to overcome each, are both anticipated and addressed.
Now I must warn you. This book goes into great detail about the process. I am thinking that literally every possible scenario, and sub-scenario is addressed and … that’s good. This commitment to the littlest things, along with real-life examples, only further demonstrates that Tim has walked the walk. Countless real-life examples, his and those of others, further cement this fact. As Tim also points out, sales genius is not by accident. Rather, in today’s environment, sales genius is a team sport and it takes a team to solve today’s toughest sales challenges! Mastering dealstorming will take practice and dedication and with practice comes permanent.
Once a successful dealstorm has been completed, not only will you have a much better understanding of the process, a core team for future dealstorming sessions will already be in place. Each member will have also been introduced to the methodologies. Just as importantly, ideas that you will have uncovered may very well be applicable in future deals. Beats an umbrella.
Tim Sanders is the former Yahoo! chief solutions officer and the author of four books including the New York Times bestseller Love is the Killer App. He is co founder of the research consultancy Deeper Media, Inc., and a top-rated speaker, lecturing widely at sales rallies, company kickoffs, and conventions. Order your copy of Dealstorming today on Amazon!
Craig M. Jamieson
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