How to Navigate Salespeople Using Facts as Excuses
Hamish Knox
Helping entrepreneurs sustainably scale their sales so they can exit for their number, not the number they're told to take
Fact, there is a global pandemic. Fact, marginalized groups are marching for their human rights. Fact, the price of oil has fluctuated wildly recently.
Facts are verifiable, specific, observable and measurable. Excuses are justifications for task avoidance. Often salespeople use facts as excuses for their lack of performance, which is a version of the game "it's not my fault" or "look how hard I'm trying."
Sales managers past (and, unfortunately present) attempt to navigate the rapids created by their salespeople's excuses by ramming through them or, if they have a high need for approval, avoiding the rapids entirely. Neither creates sustainable, scalable results.
We coach the sales managers we support to use the following four steps to successfully navigate the excuse rapids created by their salespeople.
- Give them the excuse - just like there's great power in accepting what a prospect says when we're selling there's great power in accepting our salesperson's excuse at face value. By accepting we disarm our salesperson who is expecting a fight.
- Get a some data - with our salesperson's "fight" system disarmed they're more open to us asking a question like, "so what did you do the last time <excuse> happened?" (I appreciate this doesn't apply to a COVID excuse) or "should we give up?" When the data comes out of our salesperson's mouth they own it and are more likely to heed it than if it comes out of our mouth because no matter how gently we position our statement we will come off like a pushy micromanager.
- Circle them back to their personal goals - we worked harder for our personal goals than corporate goals. Even through the facts mentioned at the start of this article (and potentially others) might have lengthened the timeline to achieve goals our salespeople set at the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020 those goals shouldn't be thrown in the shredder. By gently asking, "how's it going with <insert personal goal>?" we redirect the conversation from externalizing (the excuses) to internalizing (our salesperson's reflection on their personal goals) and give them a moment to remove the excuse rapids they constructed.
- Co-build a specific, measurable, observable action plan - the goal of which is to get our salesperson closer to their personal goals. Build regular check-ins into this plan so you and your salesperson have an opportunity to course correct when they're two degrees off course instead of 90 degrees off.
It's normal, especially during times of stress, to externalize. By disarming a fight before it starts and flipping the focus back internally, on each salesperson's personal goals, we keep momentum going at all times of year, which typically results in us and each of our salespeople achieving our goals - professional and personal.
Until next time... go lead.