There are prizes for second in selling at least. So if you can’t be number 1, aim to be number 2. We are all brought up with the adage that there are “no prizes for second.” In most walks of life that is so true. We remember winners but we don’t as easily remember the runners-up. I remember that Usain Bolt won 8 gold medals at the Olympics. However I certainly can’t tell you who the silver medal winners were.
Same with team sports. We know or remember who won certain cup finals. But the losing finalists or semi-finalists. Less likely.
However in the world of selling and sales I believe strongly that there can be prizes for second. Of course you aim to be number 1. That’s fine. You won’t gain any plaudits for being the second preferred supplier. More importantly you won’t earn any commission or have anything to show against your sales target. Especially if you’ve put a lot of effort in to the account, you may feel deflated.
But take heart, because if you can’t be number 1, their preferred supplier, then work hard to be the best alternative – their number 2. It will frequently pay off. So stay in touch. Send emails to check in occasionally. Send them emails or product updates which you feel may be of benefit. Always be polite and respectful and wait patiently.
Everyone is a customer – potentially
Remember that “everyone is a customer, it’s just that some of them haven’t bought from you yet.” Admittedly this is an adage which I made up but I have cause to quote it frequently. It’s a piece of advice that we should all bear in mind. Stay cool and calm and act as if it genuinely doesn’t bother you that (currently) they’re not buying from you. In my experience they will respect that. I remember once, long ago that a new client told me that I’d got the order with him based on the 3Ps. What are the 3 Ps I asked. “Polite persistence pays” he answered. He liked the fact that I was always polite and respectful but nevertheless determined to keep To Market at the forefront of his mind. And in the end it paid off.
Your chance will come
For the record Jamaican Yohan Blake finished in 2nd – London 100m final
Chances are that one day your opportunity will come. First, if the prospect likes you on a human level, they’ll be looking to give you a chance. Second, there will be an occasion when their favoured supplier lets them down. Almost inevitably it will happen. They’re out of stock on a particular product. Or, they mess up with a delivery, or the new version of the product is poor quality, etc, etc. It is likely that any rival competitor however good will mess up at some point. The other quite frequent situation is that you’re being kept out because the potential customer likes the person they deal with at your competitor. But then one day they leave. It’s now open season. And you’ve guessed the rest. If you’re the next best option, YOU are likely to get that call ‘out of the blue.’ Only it’s not really ‘out of the blue,’ you’ve been working towards it for a while of course.
The other key factor I’ve found over many years that determines the likelihood of business, is the person at the customer’s company that you’re dealing with. Not whether they use your type of products or services, not your pricing, not your product range, not your location, not your brand reputation. No it’s all about the person.
My experience
I’ve had examples where I’ve been told politely, but firmly that there is no chance of any business EVER at their company for training because ……………… whatever. And you may feel tempted to cross them off your prospect list. And yet, you call back in a year’s time, the person you were dealing with before has left and the new decision-maker has new ideas, and wants to hear yours. I have benefited from this more than once. Regrettably, I have also lost accounts for this reason too. I dealt with 2 key contacts at a great I.T. software house client years ago. I did a good amount of work with them over a few months which was well received. But my key contact Steve left and took up a GM role with the same company in Japan. His boss left too, and I never got another piece of work out of them. Their business model was the same, their team stayed the same size (for a while at least.) But I didn’t earn another penny from them! So it works both ways. Ensure you benefit from at least some of it.
What next?
You win some, you lose some. If you want to talk to someone external about your tactics for dealing with prospect accounts, talk to us at To Market. We run training all over the East and West Midlands, including Leicester, Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough, Corby, Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Cambridge, Newmarket, Bury St. Edmunds, Peterborough, Rugby, Warwick, Coventry, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Birmingham. Contact us by dropping a few details into our contact page