Sales Growth Strategies - Brian Tracybgs.briantracy.com/Workbooks/SGS/SGS - Power Politics and...Power, Politics and Influence 1. Large account selling involves politics, power, and
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“People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit.” (George Allen)
W e know that with smaller sales, the amount of information you need for a particular company may be limited, but when you move into the large-dollar sales arena,
it is very important. What we address in this module is the need to obtain a different kind of information.
This domain is often the most critical of all factors in big sales being made faster and with greater consistency. This lesson addresses the critical factors of power, politics and influence, and how they can be understood and properly handled to consummate sales. In this lesson you will learn:
■ The critical elements of the sale in large accounts
■ Building a networks of contacts in the account
■ The concerns of people with financial power
■ Navigating the political shoals in the larger sale
1. Large account selling involves politics, power, and influence.
2 There are politics in every organization.
a) The politics are usually associated with the control of resources;
b) People are jockeying for influence over other people;
c) A major reason for politics is ego needs;
■ Though seemingly an irrational factor, ego needs can often make or break a sale.
3 Power determines purchases.
a) The best salespeople understand power and influence factors within prospect organizations;
b) They seek to understand the political structure of decision making from the
first meeting.
4. The top 10% of salespeople are sensitive to power relations.
a) No matter who they are talking to, they are alert to what is really going on; b) They continually ask questions to learn more about the other people
a) A mentor is a friend who can guide you through every aspect of the sale;
b) This guide wants you to be successful and understands how the organization works, and who you need to talk with to get the sale;
■ Just having one person to help “navigate the political shoals” can make you successful;
■ Finding the person who can help you should be one of your first prospecting activities!
13 Another important form of power is expert power.
a) There may be someone in the organization who is highly respected;
b) Talk to this person first;
c) They may well have a “halo-effect” in the organization;
d) Their opinion is respected and always sought out before a decision is made;
e) Who is most respected in the organization?
14 The vendor-champion is someone who would like you to make the sale in the organization (and is usually outside of the corporation you are prospecting).
a) This person may be your mentor outside the company;
b) Alternately, this person could be someone else who wants to make the sale happen in that organization.
15 The customer-champion is someone within the corporation that has used your product before and believes in the value of it for this particular customer.
a) Who within the organization will champion you? b) One solid customer champion can open every door for you.
16 There is often an outside power, such as a consultant, an accountant, a lawyer or some other friend or associate who can help you.
a) Resolve to find out who it might be and then meet with them in advance so
that they won’t shoot down your proposal later;
b) Often an outside power can open the door for you and introduce you to the right people.
17 There is the “alternate-solutions” power.
a) They offer solutions that are totally different;
b) Something different is competitor power;
c) You must know who they are and what their alternative solutions are;
d) They can be very powerful. You must identify them and develop a strategy to protect your selling proposition.
a) You can help those who are not skilled in political activity to negotiate through the politics of the organization;
b) You can help them deal with political influences, enabling them to purchase your products and services;
c) Power, politics, and influences have an inordinate impact on whether or not you make all the sales that are possible for you.
Wherever there are people with different opinions and goals, there will be jockeying for power and influence.
Everyone is determined to get the very most for themselves in terms of money, position, authority and status. These are the inevitable facts of life in dealing with any organization.
Your job is to ask questions, position yourself as a friend to everyone, and seek to understand the political decision making process in the organization as it relates to what you sell. Once you have built these essential business friendships and relationships, take time to nurture them throughout the time that they are your customers.
Action Exercises
1. List three different types of decision maker in any sales account: