"Mastering the People Reading Skills that MBA Programs Don't Teach"

#sales #b2b #b2bsales

It was about a decade ago.

My company was into a technology solution and my role was consultative selling. I used to meet the decision-makers of large organizations/governments/PSUs so as to pitch large-scale technology projects that can bring digital transformation. I along with one of my senior colleagues, went for a sales demo with a large enterprise.

When we met the key decision maker of the client, my colleague started the typical sales pitch. The pitch had jargon and names of a couple of new-age technologies. It was about us, it was about our achievements, and about numbers.

I could see no response from the buyer's side and our buyer was a senior person with lots of years of experience. We were talking a lot and showed him slide after slide.

I was looking at the face of the buyer and I could sense that he disliked our pitch. His eyebrows were shrinking and his arms were closed. He pushed him back on his chair and started asking about the limitations of the technology.

Unfortunately, we never expected those sharp questions about limitations. We expected questions about the features and benefits.

I must admit that we were trying to mask the limitations of our technology solution since that was an obstacle during the buying process. We tried to conceal the limitations and focused only on positive things.

He ultimately said, " Sateesh, I expected honest answers". Because he knew the limitations of the technology solution that we were trying to sell. I need not say that the door was shut for us permanently.

Business situations are ultimately people situations.

People reading skill is one of the skills that MBA colleges will not teach you. That has to be developed with deliberate practice. In sales situations, people reading skill is a 'must have' skill. The common practice in sales is to pitch the well-rehearsed ' sales pitch' everywhere.

People's reading skill, also known as the ability to understand and empathize with others, is critical in the world of sales. At its core, sales is all about building relationships and creating trust with potential customers. To achieve this, sales professionals need to be able to quickly and accurately read people and understand their needs, desires, and pain points. By doing so, they can tailor their approach and messaging to meet each individual's unique needs and preferences, which increases the likelihood of a successful sale.

Moreover, people's reading skills are essential in building strong and long-lasting relationships with clients. By empathizing with their client's concerns and priorities, salespeople can develop deep relationships that go beyond the transactional level. In short, having excellent people reading skills can be the difference between a mediocre sales career and a highly successful one.

In the labyrinth of the business world, there are countless clues and signals that lay hidden beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered by the curious and the insightful.

Some are revealed in the form of words or actions that escape the speaker's conscious control, like the fleeting glance that reveals a moment of vulnerability. Others are crafted with precision, carefully chosen phrases that hint at the speaker's true intentions. These clues are like breadcrumbs that lead to deeper understanding, and those who are perceptive enough to follow them can uncover hidden insights and opportunities. The trick is to be alert, to pay attention to the details, and to have the confidence to act on what you discover. With the right mindset and the right tools, the business world can be a treasure trove of valuable information just waiting to be unearthed.

Following are a couple of my experiences where people's reading skills were more useful.

1. During a sales meeting, the prospect is fidgeting and avoiding my eye contact. It was a sign of discomfort or disinterest I paused and asked the prospect if they have any concerns or questions. I wanted to make them at ease and wanted to understand the reasons for the discomfort.
2. Whenever, I present demos to a group or a bigger team, if a few of them starts looking at their phone, I pause and check my 'listen to talk' ratio. In sales, listening is much more important than talking.
3. Observing the 'opinion maker' or 'decision influencer' in the group is also an important technique. Usually, when you are selling to a group and if it is a collective buying decision, there will be one or two informal decision influencers whose opinion matters a lot to the decision maker. I observe carefully and ensure to clear the doubts of the opinion maker.
4. If you are pitching to a team, observe the eye contact between the team members. You can easily identify the influencer and you can see that the other team members nod when the influencer says his opinion.
5. It is always better to deal with people with strong egos because they are the ones who can take decisions quickly and can get things done. Usually, salespeople try to avoid people with strong ego but carefully handling people with strong ego can help a lot in sales.

I am not saying that salespeople need to be psychologists or body language experts. Instead of pitching monotonously, it is better to observe the signals from the audience side and tailor make the sales pitch. However, I am not asking to jump to conclusions based on the cues.