Shoulda’, Coulda’, Woulda’: Who Sees What? 

You try a SAYA sale and it doesn't work the way it was supposed to.

1. What actually happened and why? 
2. I wish I woulda’...!
3. Now that it’s over, what could I do? 

Send me a selling situation you’ve encountered that didn’t go the way you expected. I’ll attempt an autopsy what could help you and others to avoid those pitfalls. 📧 [email protected]

I've spoken frequently about having respect for the lens from which you are focusing when you judge what is being said to you. Of course, when your 4-year-old asks for ice cream before eating dinner, it’s because she sees the flavor and the texture through her own lens. She doesn't see through the lens of mom or dad who see that, if she eats ice cream, it's likely to dampen her appetite and make the healthy foods, to come, less acceptable. Lens choice! 

I was reading an article recently about sales and marketing, with many comments about how the efficiency and effectiveness of sales today is so skewed toward developing relationships (sending collateral material, aiming folks toward websites, making many efforts to build the relationship and let that soften the suspect's path toward buying) being the best way to sell.

And that's the belief and preference of some. (maybe it’s a generational thing.)

As far as Relationship Selling is concerned, people buying from people they like v. not buying from people they don't know, we're talking about a game where few win.

People buy value! (and should be sold based on the values they need!)

As a sales professional, most of the time, I realized that some people would buy from me because they like me. Throw enough against the wall, some will stick! One just doesn't have much control or that much time.

I found that, if I attempted to see through their lenses, achieved by discovering, by asking many questions to uncover their needs, I was able to have a better understanding of the values and solutions they really were hoping to acquire. It gave me much more control and a greater feeling of authenticity. My leverage (collected by uncovering their pain) was applied and perceived through their lenses as for their good.

It’s harder to hold the line and ask tough questions to make those discoveries. It is much easier and self-gratifying to assume the suspect’s problems and propose from one’s wealth of knowledge the features and benefits of buying from them. Like giving in to your 4-year-old and letting her have the ice cream.