finance, and accounting interrelate with one another and with the pending sale at hand. By understanding these interrelationships, the salesperson with a competent business knowledge will be able to create sufficient customer value so that the customer will be willing to pay more (see Sales Traps 12 and 13).

SALES BEHAVIOR THAT CREATES VALUE

Whether customers see value in a sales offering can often be traced to the behavior of the salesperson (and his or her management). As Sales Trap 11 explains, top sales performers create value, they dont just communicate it. Some people think that they create value when they really dont. Sales Traps 9 through 18 are examples of the mistaken beliefs and partial truths that these salespeople hold. Because they dont fall into Sales Traps 9 through 18, top performers create value from the customers perspective, and so they generate more sales than average performers. In order to excel at creating value, salespeople need to hone their sales skills (especially their probing skills). They need to figure out the real issues that their clients face. Clients may not be able to communicate their real concerns. The consultative salesperson needs to help the client articulate these concerns by probing deeply and conveying an understanding of the issues. One senior executive of a multinational corporation said it well: We want to hire the best, develop the best, and be the best. I have always believed you have to try harder to stay ahead, not try harder to get ahead.

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sales trap 9:

You Wont Make the Sale Unless You Reach the Decision Maker

For years, salespeople have been taught that to make a sale, they have to reach the decision maker (the person with power, usually at the top of the organization). Thats a fallacy based on the wrong information.

THE PROBLEM WITH GOING TO THE TOP

Theres no value created by going to the decision maker. Value creation comes from understanding the customers needs on both a day-to-day level and a global level. Let me explain what I mean. If an enterprising young sales consultant attempts to secure an appointment with the president of a company to sell a piece of office equipment, he or she is misdirecting the sales effort.

Of course the president is consulted when the company buys equipment. But generally this kind of day-to-day decision involves factors that the president isnt knowledgeable enough about to enable him or her to make the decision. He or she will defer the responsibility to the staff. (Even if the president were knowledgeable, he or she probably wouldnt make a decision without first consulting with the staff.)

The people who work with the office equipment every day are the ones who have the problems the equipment is intended to solve. Theyre in the best position to determine the benefits of a product. Because theyre the ones who will get the most value out of the new equipment, the salesperson should focus first on them, not on the president. If the president is against purchasing equipment for financial reasons (the global view), the salesperson will have to address that. But the president is not the one with the everyday understanding of the problems (the day-to-day view). To create value, salespeople would be wiser to invest their time visiting

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with the staff members who will actually use the products or services every day.

Lets take another example. A consultant discussing sales training issues with the president of a multibillion-dollar company should not expect him or her to have in-depth knowledge of the specifics, such as the sales skill modules. Nor should the consultant expect him or her to be aware of the merits of one particular program relative to another. Senior managers within a company tend to function as strategists with a global view, not as tacticians. They view their division or their company from 100,000 feet. Since senior managers need to work in a team atmosphere with the people who have the view of the problem from 10 feet, it is highly irregular for any senior manager of a medium-size or large company to make a unilateral decision without consulting and conferring with these people.

WHAT WORKS BETTER

A more effective strategy for managing the decision process within the account is to develop breadth and depth. Depth means a detailed understanding of the customers needs and concerns-that is, a detailed understanding of the problems faced by the people who view them from 10 feet away. Breadth refers to the global view from the customers perspective, an understanding of the big picture concerns that keep senior managers in the account up at night. An excellent salesperson is able to provide solutions at both the breadth and depth level. Salespeople who master the breadth and depth strategy manage the decision-making hierarchy more effectively, which creates value.

Sales researcher Neil Rackham refers to the need for salespeople to develop needs at three levels in the account:

A Focus of receptivity: These are the person(s) within the account who are willing to meet with you.