The Scrambled Egg - a blog every sales professional should wake up to.

Ever watch the show What Would You Do with John Quinones on ABC? It’s a hidden camera show that creates unique situations with actors putting some unsuspecting bystander into a moral dilemma. An example would be a teen actor telling his fake and unsupportive parents he's gay. They have a loud disagreement and the hidden cameras role to watch the reaction of the onlooker(s). The topics cover everything from race, class and even recently covered the topic of The Christmas Spirit.

I had a what would you do moment in my sales career which I was reminded of just last week. Rick Roberge sent an email to a very accomplished group that consisted of Lori Richerdson, Trish Bertuzzi and Jill Konrath. In the email Rick referenced his first impression of me. The question was then posed by Trish if this same statement would have been said and thought if I were male. Rick posted most of the email exchange on his blog where the discussion continued. 

Until, it was time to bring me to the President. She became timid, gave every veiled objection you could think of, she insisted on doing the presentation alone and became distant. This wasn’t conducive to her prior behavior. She had been my champion all the way up until her most important role in the sale. What happened?

Best Practice – I always find it best to be upfront and transparent when a prospect greatly changes their behavior and/or story. Bridge the topic very carefully, but honestly. Here’s how I approached the subject with my influencer:

With a very soft slow voice, even fake a stutter to indicate the topic is difficult for me to bring up, this shows vulnerability because I'm expecting the same in return with her answer. “Mary, I’m going to do what ever you think is best. But I’m a bit… well….. confused…. We’ve had such open communication and you’ve been great to work with. You said you need this because of XYZ. When I’m in these situations it’s natural to bring to the person that makes the decision with you. It’s our best shot of getting this approved. Has something changed…..? Did I do something…….?”

I was letting my influencer know, all BS aside, I knew something was wrong and it was ok to trust me with the REAL objection. Be prepared as this approach works. Her answer floored me. “Katharine, you’re right, there is something….. My president won’t work with women sales reps. I’m so sorry”. Mary was a true champion, not an influencer. A topic I'll dive deeper into next week.

My first thought was to pity for her working for him. My stomach turned. I had a moral dilemma on my hands. I also had a quota and commission dilemma. This company needed the services I was selling and they would be a good customer for my company. As sales people we naturally want to make the sale. But even at the price of ignoring blatant sexism? While I wanted to hang up the phone, pull my hair out and write this guy a scathing email, do I teach him a lesson at the cost of my own commission?

I’ll share how I handled the situation and if I closed the deal, but first I’d like to hear what would you do? 

While it’s been a while since I wrote, I recently had an experience worth sharing. Last Thursday I was scheduled to meet with Rick Roberge. He was fighting through the traffic cause by Storrow Drive being closed. We were to be meeting in person, however we settled for meeting via phone. 

As I spoke with Rick, the door to the conference room opened. At HubSpot, we’re infamous for having a shortage of meeting rooms. It was Mark Roberge and Jill Konrath entering the room. Of course I recognized her right away (holly crap that’s Jill Konrath!) and assumed they were in need of a room. Although in mid conversation with Rick, I stood to offer the room. I had no idea Rick was the mastermind behind this meeting until Mark told me Jill was there to meet with Rick and I.

For those of you not yet familiar with Jill’s work, she’s the author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies among other accomplishments. Anyone would jump at the opportunity to pick her well tenured sales brain. That’s just what I did. This is when I learned her expression "movers and shakers".

I asked Jill what is the number one thing she looks for when determining if she should spend her time with an influencer. She answered, “if they are a mover and a shaker”. In other words, does this person get shit done? Do they take initiative? Are they proactive instead of reactive? It’s true and brilliant in its simplicity. 

Here are some questions to determine if your influencer is a mover and a shaker: 

Any of the above questions would help you uncover if you have a mover and a shaker on your hands. Why is this so important? Time management as a rep is a required skill for success and survival. Jill mentioned most deals she works on will close. She was not bragging, merely demonstrating by identifying who to spend her time with, yields a much higher probability of purchase.