Win/Win: Venn Diagram Selling
Stephen Covey coined the term: Win / Win in his 1989 bestselling business book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It means that both sides of an agreement, or transaction, come up winners! Some thoughtful design effort is usually needed to achieve this happy result – and here’s one way to execute just that: Venn Diagram Selling.
Seek First to Understand Stephen Covey recommends taking an inventory of needs for the person for whom you may be serving/selling. Get a complete understanding of what the client may need or want and what the specific requirements would be for this to be a sincere Win. What budget, delivery, on-going support etc. would have to be included? Confirm that you have come as close as possible to fully document what the client requires.
Share Your Honest Appraisal The next step is to be understood yourself for your part of a pending transaction or negotiation. Share your honest assessment or appraisal of what you and your company can provide for the potential customer in his / her current situation. Can you meet the deadlines, at the right budget, and the other necessary requirements? Demonstrate an understanding too of your competitors and how you stack up in comparison. Sometimes the person negotiating the transaction makes all the difference. A client has often told me “All things being equal, I’d rather work with you”. Sometimes the final decision hinges upon price or delivery timetable, or other factors. Sincerely draw the actual or virtual Venn Diagram reality for your proposed transaction. Gain clear mutual agreement on where the overlap exists – and perhaps where it doesn’t.
Does It Make Sense? The final question is always, “Knowing what we now both know, does it make sense to work together?” An authentic discovery conversation that seeks a Win / Win solution puts everyone at ease. The path forward is usually very clear. It makes sense. Or it doesn’t. No hard feelings! We figured it out together! I’ve lost an account because a competitor supplied football or concert tickets, and that was very important to the potential client. I’ve won accounts because the client knew for sure that their success was as important to me as my own.
As they say, “water always finds its level” and your ideal clients are likely to choose to work with you. Some non-ideal clients may make that choice also. Some clients are better served by others. In my world view, it isn’t a zero-sum game! The next time you sit down with a potential new client, consider making it a Win / Win Venn Diagram sales experience. You’ll be glad you did. Oh, and there's coaching for that too!