Sellers: Are You A Control Freak, or A Puppet On A String?

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Balancing Leadership With Control In The Sales Cycle

Are We Really Talking About Taking Control?

When a sales manager or sales person says ‘take control’ what does he-she really mean? Well we asked them. Here are some examples:

1. Uncover needs – in particular needs they may not be aware of

2. Drive the agenda – be proactive rather than reactive

3. Challenge and define requirements in a way that puts your solution in pole position

5. Propose a better more creative solution – a better way to solve their problem

6. Engage key stakeholders – access the more senior decision-makers who control budgets

[expand title=”Click to see more examples of what sellers mean by ‘taking control:”]7. Prequalify more aggressively – exclude opportunities that are waste of time and focus wholeheartedly on those that can be won

8. Ensure a next-action date and test the buyer’s commitment continually

9. Nudge or perhaps push the buyer along – ‘always be closing’

11. Stay two steps ahead of the buyer – look out for and anticipate any roadblocks or barrier

12. Set out your process for the buyer

13. Find out what the sponsor needs in order to push the decision along

14. Make sure the buyer gets key information [/expand]

Based on these responses the language used around ‘taking control’ would appear to be nuanced. It suggests a more diluted form of control by the seller.

What do you mean by ‘taking control’?

Taking Control Of The Sales Cycle, or Buying Process?

It was clear that most of the examples provided by sellers really involved taking control of the sales cycle or process, rather than the buying process or buying decision.

What sellers are really talking about is ‘taking the initiative’ and ‘being proactive’ when it comes to key aspects of the sales process, in particular:
– Identifying and pre-qualying opportunities
– Analyzing needs
– Exploring solutions
– Building relationships

Those things are of course under the control of the seller. However there is little mention of controlling the buyer – at least not in ‘a puppet on a string sort of way’.

Finally, let’s examine why control may not be all that it claims to be.