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Do you remember when you discovered a great restaurant before the mainstream crowds descended upon it?

Do you remember how you were able to relax, take your time and fully enjoy the whole experience?

Do you remember how disappointed you were last time you went to an advertised Thanksgiving day sale, only to find a huge crowd all trying to get their hands on the limited supply?

Do you remember the last time you did a great sales job and the prospect chose someone else? Do you know why?

One big reason for the let down was that you got there at the same time as everyone else, because you all "saw the same ad". Chances are every other seller/competitor knew the buyer was in play, after all they advertised it like a Thanksgiving Sale! Wouldn't you have rather had the opportunity to do your shopping in a relaxed methodical way, no hurry, being able to pay attention to detail, rather than becoming column fodder alongside other sellers who "saw the same ad" for the same prospect?

That is the very shortcoming of many approaches, especially those that would entice you with the promise of "no more cold calling", "have prospects find you". You are encouraged to identify your target, reach out through networking and referrals, leverage SEO and social media, and "when the client is ready, they will find you", followed by some "nurturing", and you are ready to sell. I am sure you don't need me to tell you that they are also finding all you competitors; and while they may be more educated than buyers of the past, they will still contact multiple vendors, and will then be "sold" but made to feel like they actually "bought", because no one likes to be sold to right? Wrong, if you sell like a pro you will enhance the buyers knowledge and experience.

The downside of many of the sales approaches or methodologies is that they leave you dealing with the potential buyer AFTER the critical point, the point that they come out of the shadows of the Status Quo, into the light. Either the faint light of "looking around, getting ideas" or the direct light of, "what I have now has to go, I am looking for something else to replace it and now". All AFTER The Fact.

I have in the past outlined the what I see as the limitation of some - not all - approaches loosely ladled as Sales 2.0. Specifically the issue of when are you reaching your potential prospect, before or after the critical point. The thinking these days is that a buyer in Status Quo is not worth pursuing because of low closing conversion; it is much better to spend time with someone who has declared in one way or another that they are no longer in the Status Quo. Not entirely true. It is true that someone who has stepped out of the Status Quo is easier to sell. It is also true that they are savvy, especially if they are web savvy, researching products and sellers on the internet before and after they engage with sellers. Understanding who the potential providers are, learning about their reputations, capabilities and more. However, this also means that they have formed opinions, conscious or unconscious favourites, which does make the sale seem easier for those on the inside track, and harder for the also-rans. Either way, you are in the thick of it, facing competitors, which means part of your focus, resources and energies are used in the thinking about the competition rather than proactively focused on the buyer, their reality and your potential impact on it.

Simply stated, I would much rather be fishing alone in a well-stocked large lake, than a shallow pond with few fish and many fishers.

Now when you do choose to work in the Status Quo, where is cold calling is necessary, does work, and is in no way politically incorrect, you may have to work a bit harder to engage. Let's not forget, there are a whole bunch of sales professionals who have no choice but to cold call; if you are selling office equipment, wireless, telco, uniforms, real estate, and a whole range of products, not cold calling is not an option. Further, when you engage with someone in the Status Quo, you can focus on understanding the buyer's objectives. You can execute the sale at a logical pace, and much more thoroughly than after the buyers have stepped out of the Status Quo, and are besieged by any number of sellers who were lurking waiting for the "ad" or flare to indicate a change of status. It is here that you risk becoming lost either due to price or an indistinguishable product or service. Whereas in the Status Quo, you can establish you value, advantage and impact without the buyer ever looking at an alternative.

Don't get me wrong, we at Renbor use many of the Sales 2.0 tools, from Active Conversion, to LinkedIn, to Twitter, and others, and we benefit greatly from it. We generate and capture leads, nurture and communicate with them, all good things. But we also know that many of them have covertly indicated their intent, and have hit a number of radar screens. We also spend time boldly going into the Status Quo, repeatedly engaging with buyers who are open to learning and want to move their business forward in an ongoing way, and before the Status Quo becomes uncomfortable, and long before they even think of looking on the web or elsewhere. These may take longer to unfold, but without interference, and in a much more meaningful way, whether you measure that in deals, revenue or loyalty.

It is not one vs. the other, but more a question of winning hearts and minds of buyer and potential buyers both before and after they reach their critical point.

What's in Your Pipeline?

Tibor Shanto – Principal - Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., is a recognized speaker, author, and sought after trainer. He is co-author of the book Shift!: Harness The Trigger Events That Turn Prospects Into Customers; his article "How to shorten your Sales Cycle?" was voted number one by readers of Top Ten Sales Articles. Tibor is a Director of and a contributor to Sales Bloggers Union, and his work has appeared in numerous of sales publications and leading websites.