A blind pig sometimes finds acorns, but it’s still useful to know that they should be looked for under an oak tree.
David Ogilvy
Table of Contents
Contact generators
Since we understand that there’s nothing to discuss with “cold” contacts, it makes sense to look at contacts that are slightly warmer. That is, those we should reach out to, having some reason to do so and knowing that they potentially have a need for our services. Calling “cold” leads is generally pointless. Moreover, working with “slightly warm” contacts or referrals is only beneficial for novice salespeople, as experienced sellers rely on recommendations and support from their own clients. White sales also depend on referrals, but where can you find them when you don’t have any clients yet?
Positive aspects of prompts include:
A beginner salesperson can immediately work with a whole database of leads. I recommend that my clients establish lead generation business processes (“lead machines”) that will assist salespeople at the start of their careers and provide a significant advantage in the job market.
The seller also saves a significant amount of time when working with leads. The most time-consuming and least efficient stage of the sales process—finding clients—can be significantly optimized.
In leads, the placebo effect is at play. Salespeople feel more confident working with a lead than with a simple “cold” contact. By valuing the lead, salespeople may approach the contact with greater care, which is conveyed through their tone of voice on the phone. I experimented by providing salespeople with excerpts from a phone directory as “leads.” The quality of sales was 30-40% higher than with cold calls. Thus, an increase in the salesperson’s confidence leads to improved sales effectiveness.
To the negatives:
- “They’re ‘closer now, but still just as cold.’”
- They cost money. One way or another.
“Lead machines” can be launched in various ways. These can be lists of potential clients who share common characteristics that suggest they have a need for our product.
For example, once while working for a client, I was negotiating with a large supermarket so that a company could take advantage of its database of discount card holders. Naturally, such a proposal out of the blue looks bad for both the supermarket and its customers. At the same time, during the negotiations, we emphasized that the company seeking leads primarily wants to maintain a good relationship with potential clients and not damage its reputation. That’s why the conversation could only revolve around a scenario where supermarket customers are informed about a special offer specifically for them, which in turn confirms the value of having a discount card. This approach in the phone call script set customers up for a more favorable conversation and, importantly, eliminated objections like “How did you get my number?!” or “Why are you calling me?!” After the introduction and confirming if they had time to talk, the conversation would start with the phrase: “I’m calling you because you are a holder of a discount card from the ‘Chulan’ supermarket, is that correct?” And the immediate response would be: “Yes.”
This category also includes lists of various municipal and government services. For example, diaper manufacturers have long “settled” in maternity hospitals. Can you get a list of companies with phone numbers and names of participants from a relevant exhibition? Great. Do you need to sell an air filtration system? Go to the nearest environmental inspection for a list of “polluting” enterprises. Are you a tour operator? Go to where tourists “are born” — to the passport issuance office.
A second source of leads can be a parallel business. Are there companies whose clients are the same as yours? Do you sell cement? Who sells bricks? Do you sell vacuum cleaners? Where are carpets sold? Do you trade in human organs? What are the nearby hospital and morgue involved in?
Many companies are trying to implement cross-selling strategies, believing that since customers have purchased product “A” from them,that’s exactly whyThey will also acquire product “B.” However, I have never encountered cross-selling projects that lived up to the sellers’ expectations. The names of existing clients are a more valuable resource than a cold calling list. You can easily lose customer loyalty by trying to sell them something they don’t need, just because you think it might be useful to them based on their previous purchase from you. Therefore, you shouldn’t start calls to clients by reminding them of their past purchases. The buyer might think, “Well, now I definitely won’t.”
If you work with individuals, especially as a local supplier, BTL promotions are a great fit for you. For example, on a holiday, you could take photos of people strolling in a city park and promise to give them their photo for free at your office the next evening. It would also be a good idea to provide a motivational questionnaire for them to fill out. This way, as they answer the questions, they start to think about the benefits of purchasing your product or service. If you sell vacuum cleaners, one of the questions in such a questionnaire could be: “How much time do you spend on house cleaning each week?”
Walk around the trade show, handing out beautiful helium balloons in exchange for business cards. Be creative and don’t do it like everyone else.
Contact centers can also be useful in your search for leads. This could be someone else’s contact center, where you simply pay for the leads. You can even specify the level of warmth of the leads—ranging from a list of cold contacts to a list of those who have already been called and shown potential interest in a meeting. “Mechanical” scripts are not very effective, but what does it matter to you how many calls were made if you are paying for ready-made contacts?
This could be your own contact center, where employees call using well-prepared scripts and are thoroughly trained to engage with existing clients about who else in their network might benefit from your services. This approach is particularly convenient for internet service providers, for example.
The main rule when working with leads remains the same — don’t forget about love. It’s very easy to check for its presence: if you’re ready to immediately mention the source of the contact when you call, and the client responds positively, or if you have a reason for the call that the client perceives as relevant only to them or a small group, then you’ve managed to maintain that love.
For example, if you have agreed to use the database of discount card holders from a supermarket chain to sell them bottled water with delivery, you need to ensure that the discount card owner does not regret having it. Start the conversation with the customer by explaining the reason for your call: the customer is a regular shopper at the supermarket and, by registering for the loyalty program, expressed interest in special offers and promotions. Now, the supermarket is offering him something from you at a discount. Of course, intonation is very important here. Politely ask if he is interested in this. If not, thank him for the conversation, apologize, and ask if his refusal means he does not want to know about any special offers from the supermarket at all. The customer should not be left with the feeling that he was called by a standard protocol of “those annoying salespeople.”
Branches on the tree
A good rule to follow when searching for new clients is to understand that clients should be sought not one by one, but in “clusters.” The interesting thing here is that the “branches” of connections stemming from one person do not simply end with other individuals. Each new person represents a new “network of connections.” No matter how far we travel along it, we will always see the same picture—branches extending from branches, and this is infinite.
When you have a good client, the first thing you should find out is their affiliation with specific groups. Then, you should try to gain access to these communities, preferably with the help of the aforementioned client. Let’s say you provide warehousing services, and a buyer comes to you who sells diapers. A typical warehouse owner’s strategy is to sit on the loading dock, dangle their legs, crack sunflower seeds, and wait for a new tenant. An atypical approach, but one that requires more effort, would involve the following actions:
– Find out from the client why they ultimately chose this warehouse and identify the benefits they saw.
– Try to identify universal benefits (for example, this is the cheapest warehouse in the city center, and an online store needs to be centrally located to navigate traffic jams effectively).
– Search Google for “diapers with home delivery” and find all suppliers of this product, meet with them, and ask about the details they would like to improve in their own warehousing solutions.
Or, more simply, ask the client about their friends and competitors, and in the process, find out their names.
Or, even more amusing, ask the client which of his business friends might be interested in these warehouses.
Let’s say you sell cosmetics and you have a female client. Ask her about her life. In one way or another, she is a member of some formal or informal groups. She takes her child to the playground with other moms. She is one of the residents in her building. She is one of the specialists at work. She is one of the attendees in an aerobics class. She is one of… Why not ask her for help in getting to know the other members of these groups, rather than just one of her friends?
Do you sell ventilation systems? Has a tobacco factory become your client? How many other such enterprises do you know of in the country? Did a mini-bakery purchase a ventilation system from you? Where else are there bakeries?
Main monkeys
Once, scientists conducted an experiment. They placed a transparent feeding container with bananas in an enclosure with monkeys, where a hierarchy had already been established. The container had a complex locking system, and in order to get the bananas, the monkeys would have to think long and hard.
The monkeys were angry and anxious, but they couldn’t get to the bananas. Over time, they calmed down and stopped paying attention to the inaccessible treat. Then, the scientists took a lower-ranking male out of the enclosure and taught him separately how to open a feeding container and retrieve bananas. After that, they returned the male to his companions. Once trained, the monkey approached the feeder and took a banana from it. Immediately, the alpha male swooped in, snatched the fruit away, and gave the “smart one” a few kicks to remind him of his place. The “smart one” then went back to the container for another banana, but that one was taken from him too. The new skill didn’t help the monkey gain a new position in the troop, so bananas were taken from him until everyone was full. The monkeys, who were excellent at mimicking, were unwilling to learn how to retrieve bananas from the feeder. It was easier for them to use force and take the bananas that had already been extracted from the feeder.
The scientists then selected an alpha male from the group and, once again, taught him how to open the container in private. When he returned to the main enclosure, the male approached the feeder and retrieved a banana. The other monkeys watched him, and then a lower-ranking male approached the feeder and cautiously tried to grab a banana for himself, careful not to anger the leader of the group. Eventually, he succeeded and happily scampered off to his corner. After a while, all the monkeys had mastered the skill of extracting bananas from the complex feeder.
What conclusions can be drawn from this experiment? The conclusions are simple: knowledge and skills spread in society from top to bottom. No one will imitate the “smart guy” from below, even if it is clearly beneficial. It is easier to take advantage of someone like that. People armed with speech and the ability to reason will perceive any initiative “from below” as eccentricity. They will inevitably find a rational explanation for why that lower-ranking individual is actually a fool, not smart, and why it is not worth following their example.
If an initiative comes from the top, from a leader, others will easily imitate it and acquire new skills, knowledge, and habits, even if they are not beneficial for them. This is an instinct that underlies human behavior, and it is worth learning how to leverage it.
When choosing someone to start selling to within a social group, consider selling to the leader of that community to establish a close relationship and friendship. Even if they don’t need what you’re selling, their goodwill towards you can help you find new clients.
If your potential clients are farmers, the head of the agricultural department in the area should be your primary target. The head of the tax office is key if your clients are accountants. A patron is important if you sell spotlights and microphones; a Baptist pastor if you sell household items. It’s not about community leaders engaging in open propaganda or coercion. However, since they have influence over people, members of their community will start to follow the leader’s example and will respond positively to their recommendations.
If you start selling within a social group, beginning with the least significant member, you risk becoming isolated—members with a higher “ranking” won’t take cues from a less authoritative colleague. As is often the case, they will likely construct a rationale in their minds to justify their behavior and attitude. They might think, “Vanya is a fool, so following his lead would be foolish.” However, sometimes trying to sell to someone like Vanya can be beneficial: if he declines to make a purchase, it may provoke the others to do the opposite.
Christianity took a long time to find its way into people’s hearts until it was embraced by the Roman Emperor. Tobacco and potatoes were not popular in Russia until Peter the Great took an interest in them. Computers were the domain of a quirky and ridiculed minority until leaders began placing laptops on their desks, initially just for decoration. Now, even elderly people are learning to use computers, email, Skype, and mobile phones, despite claiming just ten years ago that they were “too old” for it. The main motivation for buying expensive cars is their status, rather than reliability, practicality, or aesthetics. Even so, once an item is recognized as a symbol of high status, others immediately notice its reliability, practicality, and aesthetics as well.
Manage recommendations
The main source of potential clients in white sales is referrals. Don’t underestimate your “warm circle” — your close friends and family — and don’t be shy about leveraging this group. Of course, it would seem quite ridiculous to bring up over a beer which of your friends’ acquaintances might need the asphalt pavers supplied by your company. Most likely, your friends are not directly connected to those who need these machines. However, they may be connected to someone who is linked to asphalt pavers. The chain of connections might look something like this: there’s a friend, he had a foreman who knows a company that lays asphalt.
What makes such a chain particularly noteworthy? It’s that it goes against the flow of obligations. The foreman is “obligated” to your friend and maintains a good relationship with him, while the company laying the asphalt receives contracts from the foreman. This means the foreman will be open to your friend’s request to meet with him. At the same time, your friend doesn’t risk damaging their relationship if such a request seems inappropriate or intrusive. Unfortunately, people tend to remember their clients better than those who are their clients. So, don’t be too pushy in trying to extract the necessary information. Any casual conversation with frequent topic changes will lead you to those who are your friend’s clients.
A good source of recommendations is your prospective clients. You should always approach conversations with potential clients in a way that makes them comfortable sharing who else in their network might be interested in your products or services, or whose services they use in their business. Your meeting should always end on a positive note, so that your contact feels favorably inclined to discuss recommendations. Even a meeting that doesn’t go well for you can leave the contact with a slight sense of guilt, which they may be willing to “atone” for by providing you with new ideas for your sales. Don’t hesitate to ask for recommendations from unsuccessful clients, but make sure you have built a relationship with them first.
For example, if you sell animal feed, it’s easy to ask a farmer about his neighbors and others who might be interested in talking to you. You should also inquire about where he sources parts for his automatic waterers. Meeting these people makes sense as they know even more farmers.
And, of course, your existing clients will help you. The best advertisement for your business will be your satisfied customers. Among these happy clients, there are so-called “golden” clients. These are the ones who actively empathize with you and your work or have even become fans of your business. You need to step out of your comfort zone and make yourself a part of their lives. Be genuine friends, know everything about them: from their dog’s birthday to what caused the gate at their summer house to start creaking. You won’t even need to ask these people for referrals—they will offer them to you on their own. It will become their hobby.
Types of meat
Recommendations vary in quality, and a seller should evaluate the quality of the leads they receive. Naturally, one should strive to obtain the highest quality recommendations. If a person only wants to get a “name and phone number,” that’s all they’ll get. People who have shot arrows or rifles know that to hit the target, you need to aim above it, not directly at it. The farther away the target, the higher you need to aim the arrow or direct the barrel. The same principle applies to goal setting: it’s important to set more ambitious goals in order to achieve the desired outcome. In doing so, there’s a chance that the ambitious goal itself will be accomplished. Conversely, if you aim for less challenging goals, you won’t reach the more ambitious ones.
The recommendations you receive can be divided into categories. And the higher the category, the tastier the recommendations, just like in a butcher shop.
Category I “Cut, Steak”
Your referee calls the future client themselves and arranges for you to meet. This is a golden recommendation, so always strive to get one. You likely have people who genuinely care about you and occasionally help you with leads and more. Don’t hesitate to explain to them the difference between when you call yourself and when you find yourself in the position of being recommended. They will understand and will likely try to call and at least say something good about you, ask them to listen, or help out. However, this type of recommendation has an unpleasant side. Over time, you may stop accepting any other forms of recommendations, considering them inappropriate: “It’s not good to ask for it.” But this is just a perceived inconvenience, which can be likened to a “broken money counting machine.”
Category II “Shoulder, Hip”
Your referee will call the future client and inform them about your call. Often, such a good recommendation can come from a “third-rate” source, where the person is hesitant to mention themselves as a referee and tends to leave you only a name and phone number. This transformation can be easily achieved through the following dialogue:
— I take it you don’t want your name mentioned?
— Yes, exactly. I don’t know how this person will react to your proposals.
— Maybe it’s worth calling this person now or later to ask for their permission to share their contact information? This way, you’ll show them that you value their privacy and aren’t just passing their details around carelessly, and on the other hand, you’ll be acting with integrity?
— Maybe…
— What did you say his name is?
— Sergey Petrovich.
— Do you think it would be appropriate to call him right now and just hear his response?
— Why not?
Of course, your recommender will be involved in such a conversation.to justifyhimself, and that’s why his request won’t come across like this: “Hey, you… you don’t need any vacuum cleaners, right? Well, I’m thinking the same.” Most likely, it will sound more like this: “Sergey Petrovich, I’m talking to an interesting young man. He’s asking me to recommend someone else he could talk to… oh, he sells vacuum cleaners. … yeah, not bad, I bought one for myself. … seems decent. So, will you do him a favor? … He’ll call you himself.”
Recommendations of the second category also apply when searching for recommendations “by association,” meaning those who owe something to the recommender, or those whose client the recommender is.
Category III “Pasha, shin”
The client allows us to refer to him. The broth is certainly rich, but the meat is a bit tough. Referring to a mutual acquaintance is a great way to keep the “thread” of a phone call and avoid an immediate rejection of a meeting. Sometimes, though, there are mishaps when the person being recommended remembers the referrer in a not-so-flattering way, and the referrer is completely unaware of it.
Category IV “By-products”
A name and a phone number—what generosity! To ensure that these aren’t just “rams and hooves,” but at least something more substantial, it’s worth getting to know the person or business they represent a bit better. If your referrer doesn’t allow you to mention them, then absolutely do not do so. Don’t let down those who have placed their trust in you. By the way, here’s a note that applies to all the categories mentioned: keep your referrer updated about your contacts. Thank them, involve them in the process, and make them root for you. This will lead you to new recommendations. The best option is to turn your referrers into the first category—people who are always thinking of you. Just at the right moment, your name will ring a bell in their minds.
By the way, the fourth category is inconvenient because when you call a potential client, you might easily get the question: “Who gave you my phone number?” And what will you do then? It’s better to work with the next group instead.
Category V: “Dog meat, chopped together with the kennel”
You are given not specific recommendations, but just ideas. Where to go, what to ask, whom to inquire, and which category of people to pay attention to. Such hints often come from those so-called “golden” recommenders, simply refreshing your creative stagnation. Don’t dismiss them. Yes, for you, this is essentially a source of cold contacts. However, consider the prospects of entering a new group for yourself in some way. They look at each other, observe, and consult within the community. They recommend each other. You might find a niche for yourself where you can “graze” for the rest of your days.
Those who are given
People don’t necessarily have to recommend you. It’s enough for them to recommend you to others. The key question is, “Would you recommend…?”me.The phrase “to someone?” will raise suspicion and an internal assessment, among which discomfort arises from the fact that your recommender is essentially taking on responsibility for something. Moreover, you are essentially asking someone to promote your product. Very few people feel comfortable in sales. Hardly anyone would feel at ease delivering a monologue over a bottle of beer like, “By the way, I bought _____ here. It’s a great thing. Do you want me to recommend where to get it?”
The question “A не порекомендуете ли вы” translates to “Would you recommend…” in English.me.“Who else can I turn to?” brings both the feelings of the recommender and the essence of the conversation to a completely different level.
The most important thing to understand is that in order to be recommended, you need to behave appropriately. Imagine a dentist who picks up the phone, opens their contact list, and starts calling everyone randomly, offering to take a look in their mouths and provide treatment if any problems are found. How many new clients do you think they would find in a day of work? And how does a dentist look when they bluntly ask a patient if they know anyone else with rotten teeth?
It is precisely such considerations, less picturesque, of course, that lead to the fact that sellers simply…are shyget recommendations. They rely on grateful patients to spread the word about how well they were treated for purulent stomatitis by Dr. Ivanov. To ensure that you actually receive recommendations and accept them correctly, behave like a doctor, not like a peddler at a market.
When working on a referral, you need to be the perfect salesperson. You must never make the client feel uncomfortable with your presence. It would be a disaster if your prospective client called the referrer and asked, “Who did you send to me?” That’s why it’s also important to maintain constant communication with the referrer and keep them informed about the status of the prospective client, their reactions, and the progress you’ve made. Call the referrer after the meeting, thank them for the lead, express your confidence that the meeting was beneficial for everyone, and ask them to check in on the client’s impressions of the meeting. After all, if the referrer learns that the meeting went well, they will be more than happy to recommend you again in the future. If it didn’t go well, it’s better for you to be the first to honestly tell them about it.
Obvious
When it comes to recommendations, what confuses sellers the most is the technology behind obtaining them. In reality, this issue disappears if they stop deceiving the client and treat them with respect and care, hoping for reciprocity.
I often ask salespeople if they are willing to tell their clients how much they will earn if the deal goes through. Most of the time, instead of an answer, I see wide eyes expressing complete bewilderment at how such a thing is even possible. But to assume that a client doesn’t realize the salesperson has a profit is about as naive as thinking that a bride doesn’t know what will happen on her wedding night.
Can trustful relationships be built starting with deception and a desire to hide the obvious? If a seller has a topic they are unwilling or afraid to discuss, but the buyer is aware of it, the conversation will never be honest and open. Moreover, naive attempts to conceal the seller’s profit from the deal only fuel the buyer’s imagination: they start to suspect that the seller’s markup is much higher than it actually is. The buyer begins to negotiate, and… they succeed.
The desire to hide one’s commission is not a problem, but merely a consequence of it. The seller themselves does not understand how they are helping the client, what the benefits of the seller are for the client, and why it is more convenient for the client to purchase from this seller rather than elsewhere. Therefore, it is essential to start by enriching the sales process with your efforts and making the client so satisfied that they understand exactly why the seller receives a commission.
A calm acknowledgment of how much a seller earns from sales also helps in getting referrals. At the beginning of the meeting, during the rapport-building phase, you can explain your role and goals to the client right away: “Ivan Ivanovich, before we start our conversation, I would like to clarify how I work. The essence of my job is to find new clients and earn a commission for the deals. If we come to an agreement and what I offer suits you, I will receive a commission from the deal. The consultations I provide for you are free of charge. However, I would like to propose a deal. If you like what we discuss, I will ask for your help in finding new clients, is that agreed?”
On one hand:
We kind of “reveal our cards” — we let the client know that we are being honest with them, even though, in essence, we aren’t really sharing anything new or groundbreaking.
We address the client’s “internal objection”: “I’ll buy, but he’ll profit from this,” by calmly acknowledging this fact.
We engage the client’s conscience by mentioning the free consultations. For a good service, a client will be willing to pay, even if it’s free. How to pay? By purchasing or providing a reciprocal service—like giving a recommendation.
On the other hand, we “drop an anchor” that we can hold onto at the end of the meeting. Once we ensure that the client is satisfied with their purchase or the meeting itself, has gained clear benefits from it, and understands that they haven’t wasted their time (which we can confirm by asking direct questions like “Did you enjoy it?”), we will say the following: “Ivan Ivanovich, as I mentioned, my job is to find new clients. Do you think any of your acquaintances would find the information you received during our meeting useful?”
Of course, you can ask about this without a “hook” at the beginning, but then the conversation will feel less binding for the client.
— Did you enjoy what we were just talking about?
— Yes…
“May I ask what exactly gives you confidence in the necessity of our service?”
— Blah-blah-blah.
— Who do you think among your acquaintances would also benefit from talking to me?
If you base your work on the idea that the client is on your side rather than the other way around, the question of “How to get referrals?” simply doesn’t arise. This is why White Sales differ from what’s often called “hard selling.” A person who has been pushed into buying a product cannot recommend it because they don’t understand why they bought it in the first place. You need to be with the client, not against them.
Perhaps you should simply tell the customer that you find most of your clients through referrals. No matter how you search for them—whether through spam or telemarketing—the core of your client base consists of people who aren’t just random strangers off the street. After sharing the “secret” of your business with someone, it’s worth asking for their opinion: “Do you think this method of finding clients is really the best? Am I right to use it?” Naturally, the client will agree. Why wouldn’t they? After all, they probably found their dentist and tile installer not through a newspaper ad. If they agree with you on this, a simple question asked a little later, “Who else among your acquaintances might be interested in talking to me?” will not meet with resistance. The client understands why you’re asking and is ready to help.
After receiving a recommendation, continue to keep your customer informed about how the meeting went based on their referral. It’s also a good idea to ask them to connect with the referred person and find out their impressions of the meeting with you. This way, you draw your referrer closer to your side, engage them more in the process, and turn them into a “golden” client.
Our world is becoming flat. This means that for the buyer, all sellers are equal; they simply cannot notice significant differences between sellers and, most importantly for you, they won’t be able to remember you. After all, you probably don’t remember what you had for breakfast last Friday, do you? Probably not. Most likely, you’ll construct an answer based on what you…as a ruleYou eat breakfast on weekdays. And if you do remember, it’s only because you had something unusual. The same goes here: the best way to get recommended is to be memorable. And the best way to stand out is to be different from everyone else. After all, every seller is primarily selling themselves.
Golden clients
By following the recommendations, you will notice that there are clients who are eager to give you referrals, but there will also be those who do so very reluctantly. Naturally, clients from the second category need to be converted into the first. The process of this transition essentially involves establishing genuine, non-business-related relationships with them. You can start quite simply: sell a mobile phone to someone, strike up a conversation, ask for their contact information, and then call them back in a couple of months to check how they like their new purchase. Just chat a bit more. If you see that the buyer is “your” person and you get along well, don’t hesitate to maintain and develop that relationship. This is the most interesting “point” in White Sales: it’s perhaps the only way of selling that can lead to real friendships.
However, our “capacity for friendliness” is limited, and we simply can’t be at two picnics at the same time. Therefore, we will always have those friends who are clients and provide us with new leads, and those who do not. The former can rightfully be called “golden” clients. A seller may have no commercial interest in these people at all. Ideally, the seller should not care whether these clients provide new promising leads. And precisely because the seller is indifferent, “golden” buyers are willing to offer him new recommendations. Such a seller does not struggle or chase after obvious benefits, which makes him likable to others.
A seller should know everything about their “golden” clients and always have a reason to call and chat at least once a week. They remember you. They know what’s going on in your life, and they drop hints for you just like you toss crumbs to pigeons in the park—simply because it brings them joy. If they know about your life, then you should know about theirs. If a client is a fisherman, the seller should know all about fishing jigs; if they’re a role-player, they should understand the tactics of Roman legions; if they’re a bodybuilder, they should be familiar with dietary supplements and training techniques; if they’re a fan of Ukrainian culture, they should know the difference between Les Poderviansky and Lesya Ukrainka; and if they’re a sports fan, they should understand the difference between Celtic and Manchester United. This, at the very least, enriches your own inner world.
Reframing
Reframing is a communication technique where a person turns something good into something bad and vice versa: a person is not greedy, but rather frugal; love is bad if it’s love for money. The same applies to White Sales—there’s always a positive angle to be found, even in the most hopeless situations.
1. What to do when a meeting ends up going nowhere, as it turns out you’re speaking with a hired manager, while the decision-maker is the founder who is in another country and organizing a meeting with them is extremely difficult? White sales suggest only one recipe — to side with your interlocutor. This means: Make sure that the hired manager likes the solution you are proposing and that they are interested in your services.
2. Take his side and ask how the founders usually make decisions, what materials they need for that. Or ask the manager what he will tell the founders about your proposal, which aspects he will focus on, and suggest preparing a presentation that will be shown to the founders on his behalf.
3. Offer the hired employee your assistance in explaining the product to the company’s founders to ensure they receive complete information; ask to arrange a conference call with the hired manager and the founder.
What should you do if a seller of agricultural equipment traveled 200 km to meet a farmer, only to find that the farmer went to the district center and forgot about the meeting? The best approach is to not be afraid and to confirm the meeting. However, it’s important to do this in a subtle way, rather than directly asking, “Are you coming? I’m coming.” This can imply that you expect the client to behave poorly. Instead, it’s better to ask a question related to the meeting: “Ivan Ivanovich, we agreed to meet today; could you please let me know the best way to get to you?” During the phone conversation, since the situation has unfolded this way, avoid blaming the client. It’s better to express hope for a future meeting and ask for assistance. For instance, since you traveled so far for this meeting, could he suggest someone else in his area you could talk to? As a result, instead of just one meeting, you might end up with three.
It often happens that a salesperson meets with the key person who has the necessary expertise. For example, there might be a meeting with the IT director regarding the sale of IP telephony, or with the chief engineer when selling a ventilation system, or with the head of HR when offering personnel assessment services. However, during the conversation, the salesperson feels that the person is somehow absent from the meeting. It seems like they are discussing values and speaking the same language, and the person appears to understand everything. Yet, their reaction resembles juggling objections in places where they shouldn’t even arise; they hesitate, avoid eye contact, and respond with something like, “Well, I don’t know…”
What is this? This is a typical “yes-man”: a person who is not in their right place or is simply “assigned” to the head of the organization to perform secretarial tasks based on decisions made by the leader. Moreover, their own initiative is not welcomed, and even if it were, they fear it like the plague, because they would be tasked with implementing that initiative, which they are simply incapable of doing. But admitting to a negotiation partner that they are not involved in the decision-making process is awkward, as they don’t want to lose face. So, they try to negotiate in what they think is their boss’s style, even though their boss doesn’t consider them a person.
Clearly, a mistake was made at the stage of generating the lead and scheduling the meeting. The conversation is not with the right person, and moreover, a recommendation from your interlocutor to their boss could be perceived very negatively: “What does this idiot even understand?!” So what should be done? Stop selling immediately. Shift the conversation to a personal level, engage them in a seemingly “meaningless” chat, but in reality, talk about their company, family, values, and eventually lead them to admit that they really don’t make any decisions. Then, take their side, rationalize the situation so they feel good about it, and simply ask for their boss’s mobile number. Of course, without referencing them.
Once, while accompanying a client as a sales consultant and realizing I was not speaking to the right person, I acted as described above. My conversation partner, the head of procurement for an agribusiness holding, volunteered to call his boss to check if he had time. However, the manager, as it turned out to my relief, kept rejecting the call. My conversation partner made excuses, saying that his boss was busy with a German delegation and would definitely call back when he was free. But he never did. Eventually, my conversation partner gave me his boss’s phone number, we chatted a bit more, and then said our goodbyes. Once I stepped out of the office, I dialed the number I had received, and we had the following dialogue:
— Ivan Ivanovich, good afternoon!
— Hello!
“Can you talk?”
— Yes, of course.
— Roman Petrov, “Tryam-Kryam Ukraine” (I was working for the client and therefore introduced myself in his name), we met at the exhibition, remember? (It was unlikely he remembered, as even I wasn’t aware of which exhibition was being referred to.)
— Ah! Hello!
— Remember, we agreed to meet when I arrived in Kyiv. Well, I’m here now.
— Well, come on over, I’m free right now!
— That’s great, I’m just in Pechersk and will be there in 5 minutes. Is that convenient?
— Convenient, of course. Do you know the address?
— Of course, you told me about it!
In the end, I had a very productive meeting with the “problem solver.” The fact that Ivan Ivanovich hung up during a conversation with the “head of the procurement department,” but agreed to meet with me, further confirms that the diagnosis was correct.
Therefore, if the sale isn’t going well and the person isn’t giving a firm “no,” understand that you’re simply not talking to the right person. Your goal now is to win them over and work together to address the issue with their boss.
Already there.
When we find out that a client already has a regular supplier, we should think about how to offer the client even more favorable terms and demonstrate the advantages of our products compared to those of our competitors. White sales are focused on understanding the client’s motives and satisfying them from the perspective of values. Therefore, the first step is to understand why the client chose this particular supplier and what their explicit and implicit motives are. After that, we should find out what the client would like to change in the existing agreements and their relationship with the current supplier. It would be great if we could neutralize any shortcomings. Accordingly, once we understand the client’s needs, we simply need to fulfill them. For example:
— Yes, I understand you. There’s no point in changing the brand. Overall, it suits you, and there’s no reason to take a risk. By the way, speaking of the overall picture. There are never any perfect solutions, right? And if something works for you overall, there are still specifics that you might not be satisfied with. What would you like to improve in the products you receive?
— Well, you’re right. There are always nuances. For example, a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the product.
— Really? I would have never thought. What are the consequences?
— This leads to increased corrosion and improper progression of certain reactions.
— What do you do with hydrogen sulfide?
“We’re conducting separate cleaning events, which are quite expensive, by the way.”
— Maybe it’s cheaper to replace the corroded elements than to clean them from hydrogen sulfide?
— So what, should we stop production once a month?
— You also mentioned the incorrect progression of reactions…
There are several technological processes in which hydrogen sulfide can lead to defects in the finished product.
“Maybe we should look into similar products that don’t contain hydrogen sulfide?”
— Well, as far as I’ve heard, hydrogen sulfide is a fundamental problem, and all similar products contain it in one amount or another.
— So, if you had a product without hydrogen sulfide, you would forget about corrosion, which would save you money on raw material purification and, importantly, ensure the production of high-quality products?
— Well, the quality of the product is a given, but the cleaning costs are very significant for us.
— You’re probably right. The cleaning process has a significant impact on the cost. By the way, we have a product that will help you forget about corrosion and cleaning expenses due to its exceptionally low concentration of hydrogen sulfide. You mentioned that this is important to you?
— Yes, perhaps.
In cases where the existing supplier is internal and/or when the deliveries are not consistent, it’s important to first commend the client for their decision and choice. It’s even worth providing examples that support your praise. Then, you can point out that while everything is good, without certain key accompanying services, the main service loses its value. After that, you can suggest analyzing the client’s needs and offering those missing services. You might also logically demonstrate that providing these services by the existing provider could lead to a conflict of interest. As an argument, you can use the saying that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. Of course, this should come from the client, not the seller. Only after closing the deal can you carefully, step by step, take all orders away from the existing supplier or put them in a position of dependence on you and negotiate a partnership.
Let’s say a recruiting company faces the situation where hiring is done either by in-house HR personnel or another recruiter. Almost certainly, no one thinks about evaluating the job profile for which a specialist is being recruited, and they are satisfied only with the recruitment request, which, by the way, usually contains requirements like “bring me a Little Scarlet Flower.” However, it is still worth creating a job profile. This involves interviewing three people directly connected to the position, such as the manager, a subordinate, and an HR specialist. The interviewing process should be clever, avoiding obvious and pointless questions like “What kind of work experience should they have?”
Candidates selected by recruiters should also be assessed for their fit with the job profile (again, through surveys and interviews). Since there are no perfect candidates, it’s a good idea to immediately identify the candidate’s “areas for growth” and evaluate the investments needed for their training or upskilling, while also suggesting the necessary training programs.
Of course, such assessments should not be entrusted to the current recruiter, as they want to “close” the vacancy as quickly as possible and are unlikely to engage in another level of evaluation or selection. And if they do, they will likely present the results in their favor.
If recruitment is carried out by internal hiring specialists, it is clear that evaluating a Chinese translator is impossible without knowledge of the language, and that an internal recruiter is unlikely to have the necessary level of expertise for truly effective selection (with financial guarantees that an internal recruiter cannot provide). An external recruiter who knows how to assess candidates can significantly save the relevant manager’s time on reviewing submitted resumes and conducting unproductive interviews. It is also possible to suggest evaluating the job application and conducting “shadow” work, where the external recruiter assesses the market value and availability of a candidate for a small fee or for free, while also conducting the search and presenting a ready candidate to the client.
If an external recruiter is able to establish a good rapport with the company and the company views everything he offers as a necessity, much like a fire extinguisher in case of a fire, then he will gradually be able to take over all the work of the existing recruiter.
How can one become a “fire extinguisher”? It’s important to make decision-makers understand that even a week of downtime without, say, a department head can lead to losses greater than the costs of recruiting. After all, the entire department is not functioning, and that’s already an emergency!
Level
Salespeople often develop the belief that if they are selling their product, the target person they need to communicate with is a bureaucrat in the organization whose business card clearly states: “Director of Product.” However, in most cases, these are not the people with whom you can discuss business problems that can be solved with your product or service. It is extremely rare for a technical director, even as a board member, to be involved in making strategic decisions. Similarly, an IT director is seldom granted sufficient decision-making authority; more often, they simply respond to requests from internal clients. There are also very few HR directors who feel truly independent and can pursue their own policies based on the interests of the entire company.
However, exceptions do occur. You can find people who have the authority and make decisions. Of course, a salesperson might think they sold a product by communicating with a relevant manager. But in reality, the relevant manager was simply processing an order from an internal client, and the company’s needs for the purchased solution had already been established. It wasn’t the salesperson selling; it was the buyer buying. Experienced salespeople, who always viewed relevant managers as potential contacts, inevitably encountered such exceptions sooner or later. Consequently, their experience tells them that it is indeed the relevant managers they should meet with. Relying on their own experience, salespeople continue to pursue individuals who are typically not knowledgeable about strategic issues like the company’s profitability. Ultimately, any business decision that a salesperson wants to sell usually involves either reducing costs or increasing profits through some investment in acquisition.
As I mentioned before, to hit a target with a bow, you need to aim above it. Gravity will bring the arrow down by the time it reaches the target. The same applies in business: you need to aim higher. The larger the solution you are selling, the higher the level at which you should discuss it. If your product impacts a company’s performance by even 1%, it falls under the highest level of competence. You should meet and talk about investments and profits with people who genuinely care and who are actually responsible for those performance metrics. However, a salesperson has no chance of meeting with the owner if they are aiming for a clerk. Moreover, you can always meet with the clerk later—they will always be available to you. It’s better to start at a high level. Plus, it’s simply cheaper: the owner is not interested in corruption.
The often described situation is a problem of the sellers themselves. They simply do not see the picture from the perspective of specific investments in exchange for specific results. Often, they are not yet at a level where they can easily engage with the owner on topics that interest them. As a result, sellers are unable to provide proper consultation to the client, helping them make a choice. All they see are the funds that the client should be ready to pay for the proposed solution. Such sellers are drawn to the scent of money, much like Komodo dragons are attracted to the smell of blood. And poor are those clients who actually have large budgets: they are forced to endure constant pressure. But as we remember, elephant hunters die of hunger while the elephants move on. Large budgets do not necessarily mean there is money available; rather, they often indicate a lack of it. No one has money, and never will: all of it is already allocated in advance, and this allocation is essentially the budget. When a seller comes to a company with something new, they simply have no chance of developing the client’s need into a desire to buy if they do not engage with those who see the whole picture, rather than just “being responsible for their budget.” If such a seller has sales experience, in most cases, those were not sales; they were purchases.
Only by being patient for a year can you sell your solution to a large company, navigating through the budgeting process, hoping that the clerk the salesperson interacts with can similarly sell your solution to everyone else in the company without being suspected of corruption. But the modern world is such that a year is too long. In that time, both technologies and paradigms can change. A year from now might be too late. Even if the funds for your solution have already been allocated and you are awaiting the purchase, that still offers no guarantees. An alternative solution that emerges during your struggle may be cheaper, implement faster, be safer, have a more “user-friendly” interface, and lack the shortcomings of its predecessor. Moreover, it might be sold at a higher level. In any case, this solution can easily shift the mood within the company, and “your” money will go to a competitor.
Of course, there are structures whose owners are inaccessible or unclear. Meeting with them is impossible. Should we sell to them? Yes. However, it’s important to understand that the influence of the seller’s skills on the purchasing process in such cases is minimal. Naturally, there are both clients and products where the specialized manager is the only person in the company competent in matters important to the seller. There are clients who are government agencies, and they operate within a budget. In this case, selling is also possible. It’s crucial to realize that the problems a seller can solve by offering their solution are somewhat different from those addressed in commercial structures. A government agency needs to secure a budget for the next year, justify the amounts in its budget items, provide evidence of the economic impact of implementing the purchased solution, and be prepared for audits and inspections. Therefore, for this organization, paperwork and deadlines are much more important than quality. It’s essential to assist the government agency, but the best way to communicate with them is again at the highest level. Clerks may simply fear accusations of corruption if they decide to promote a specific solution.
Another opportunity for sellers who interact with specialized managers arises when that manager is incompetent in their area. Often, they try to hide this trait during general meetings when more than one person represents the company. For example, they may take a defensive stance and do their best to rationalize the absence of the solution you are offering. It’s important to understand that in well-structured organizations, even the highest-ranking executive would not dare (or be able) to sign a document without the approval of the specialized manager, so their opposition to you does not bode well.
However, if you meet with him one-on-one, engage in conversation, and understand what he is struggling with and what he needs, the salesperson can become a private, trusted advisor to the manager, offering recommendations like a doctor provides prescriptions. In this case, the salesperson positions themselves as a consultant and builds a trusting relationship with the manager. It’s important to remember that if you are acting as a consultant, you must fully embrace that role: be honest with the manager, show them all the options and possibilities. Do everything you can to ensure that your words are trusted when the time comes to sell what the client truly needs and what you happen to be selling. Remember, you are not selling; you are facilitating a purchase. Therefore, your sincere consultations will not harm sales. The trusting relationship you build with the manager will allow you to be in the right place at the right time. Essentially, all you need is for them to turn to you for advice.
Chapter Summary
Main ideas
Consider building a lead generation process for your sales. It might be worth relieving your salespeople from the task of finding leads. Let others handle that.
· Work with leads sincerely. You should not have any contacts that you cannot positively explain where you got their information from.
· Look for clients in groups right away. Where there’s one client, there are also a second and a third.
– Always try to communicate with the highest-level employees responsible for decision-making in the organization. In informal groups, start by working with the centers of influence.
· Manage recommendations. Engage customers in the process of finding new clients for you.
– Learn to understand the quality of the recommendations you receive. Try to improve the quality of the recommendation by communicating with the client.
When working on a referral, it’s important to exceed the client’s expectations. This is the key to ensuring that the referrer, having received gratitude from the new client, will recommend you again.
Be completely honest with your clients. Don’t think that they are unaware of how much you earn from them.
Identify among your clients those who recommend you, and give them your utmost attention.
· You are not selling your product. You are helping the client improve their business. Therefore, you should communicate not with the internal users of your product, but with those who are responsible for the entire business.
Exercises
· Review your list of clients. Identify which ones are “golden” and think of interesting topics for conversations and meetings with them.
– Assess your social activity. How many new acquaintances do you make each week? How can you increase that number?
Where to start?
Add a new mandatory item to the meeting agenda — a discussion about recommendations.
– Create a meeting plan with your existing clients. The purpose of the meeting for you is to chat “just for the sake of it.” The purpose of the meeting for the client is to discuss the quality of work and receive feedback. Do this regularly.
Before calling potential clients, call your existing ones.
– For each of your competitors, find a list of their clients and meet with them. Before the meeting, understand for yourself what makes you better than the competitor.