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I was recently speaking with a lawyer friend who recounted the facts of a trial in which he was lead council for the prosecution. In short, a really bad guy who did some really awful stuff and my friend got him sent up for a really long sentence. The councilor started off talking about all the research he had done and the game planning for rolling out his strategy. His story hadn’t even gotten into the courtroom by the time it dawned on me that what he was describing were exactly the same sales best practices I had seen top reps use over the course of my career. By the time the jury was delivering a guilty verdict my mental stenographer had recorded the outline of a complete sales process.
1. Preparation.
Every hour my lawyer friend spent in the court room represented ten hours of research and preparation. The best sales people will dedicate an equal level of attention to detail. Many top performers, like attorneys have begun referring to this research as “discovery.” The best sales reps I have seen employ about a 10-to-1 prep-to-pitch ratio researching their prospects business, industry, competition, recent press releases and current solutions. They interview influencers, run numbers, pull details on relevant case studies, rehearse their presentation and predict objections. Like most court cases a sale is usually won or lost before the presenting has even started.
2. Leading Questions.
Throughout my lawyer friend’s trial he ran through a litany of predesigned questions unloaded on witnesses. The testimony was the engine of the story he was building, but the direction was limited to where he laid the tracks. This premise is equally applicable to a top notch sales process. After a crack sales rep has the story line played out and practiced in her mind, she already knows the questions that will tee up the conversation that she wants to make happen. Like expert attorneys, expert sales people will never ask a question to which they do not know the answer at this point in the process. Whether you are presenting to a judge or CEO, a jury or board of directors the source of the information is a key component to the value of the message. If you say it it’s told, if they say it it’s gold.
3. Predicting the Counter.
If you don’t understand your opponent’s argument, you don’t truly understand your own. An old axiom and equally applicable to councilors and commission hounds alike. For top performers in both professions, hearing objections to their argument is not a matter of if, but when. The ill-prepared for this reality will suffer blows to critical points of their presentations, lose credibility with the ultimate decision makers and ultimately risk the final answer being decided in their favor. Seeing weaknesses that can be exploited in your solution and having the appropriate response can make the difference between success and failure.
4. Presenting with Passion.
Studies have shown that an audience is far more influenced by how a presentation is being delivered than by what is being delivered. Body language matters, inflection matters, excitement, passion, hutzpah all matter. Recently I caught a few highlights of the prosecutor in the Jody Arias trial. I noticed when he was describing the execution of the crime he was furious; when responding to the defendant’s version of the story, incredulous; when speaking on behalf of the victim, heartfelt and despondent. The pattern is simple and just as critical to sales best practices. Embody the emotions you want felt by your audience. Top sales people sound frustrated about a prospective client’s challenges, fearful of the risky position they may be in without the product or service they are presenting, excited about the opportunities that lay ahead from the mutually beneficial partnership. If you’re passionate sales will come.
5. Closing Statements.
My lawyer friend went over the abridged version of his closing statement and went something like, this guy is guilty as hell, here’s the highlight reel as to why he’s guilty as hell and because he’s guilty as hell you need to come back with a guilty verdict. Simple, to the point and with all the inflection of “you’re crazy if you don’t see this my way.” For top sales people, it’s no different. “You need to buy this. Because you’re looking to do a, b and c you need to buy this. So the next steps to you buying this are…” Top sales reps I have seen will reiterate the points most critical to the decision maker, quickly tie it to is solution and ask for the business without flinching.
Whether in the courtroom or conference room the principles are the same. If you are looking for a favorable decision to what you are proposing, preparing a strategy that tells a story in a pre-planned direction that predicts landmines is presented with passion and wraps up with succinct and obvious conclusion is paramount for success.
Thanks Matt Doyon for the article!
