Improve Sales Performance: The best are AND sellers, not OR sellers

Have you seen the new Ford ad campaign?  It is what they call the "AND not OR" campaign. They are using this campaign to build the perception that when you buy a Ford you don't have to compromise. One ad asks if you want a "Bed or Breakfast?"  No one wants that. We want both.

Another ad is called "Health OR Fitness." In this ad they tout how when you buy a Focus, you get an EPA-estimated rating of 40 mpg hwy and available voice-activated Sync technology. And is better. 

In my years of managing salespeople, I have found that most salespeople fall into one of the categories:

1. Customer Focused Ninja:  Nearly all of their thoughts and actions focus on how to help the customer.
2. Big Dollar Deals:  Their effort and energy are focused on building proposals for big bucks.

Of course, most salespeople are not exclusively one or the other, but many do lean heavily to one of these extremes. If you find that you are too focused on one or the other, bring this into balance and focus on both. Be an AND seller, not an OR seller.

Let's put this concept into action. Think about one of your current top prospects and ask yourself two questions:

1. Have I done an in-depth needs analysis, accepted an important assignment and built a tailored proposal that is likely to deliver outstanding  value or return on investment?
2. Have I asked for enough money, so I am sure my solution is robust enough to deliver what the prospect is expecting and enough that this prospect will be one of my largest accounts?

If you want to go deeper on this idea of delivering value, click below to download our checklist to be sure you will deliver results and retain your clients.

John Henley is the Chief Operating Officer at The Center for Sales Strategy