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Action Selling

in Act 3 about the urgency of his problem, I might have avoided the
stall I ran into in Act 7.”

You always learn “Good,” Joe said. “You evidently
something by overcame the stall, but this is why Action

replaying the call. Selling insists we replay every call,
including the successful ones, before we
break open the champagne. You can always learn something. Now,
what needs did you agree on in Act 4?”

“Iverson agreed to the two ideal needs that you and I picked
yesterday when we planned the call,” Matt said. “He needed a
seamless solution that let him manage both Internet marketing and
the direct sales force, and he needed a solution that was quick and
painless, with no software integration required. He also agreed to the
third ideal need I chose last night when I did my homework: He
wanted to simplify the sales-management process and make it more
efficient. You should have seen his eyes light up when I explained in
Act 6 how our system will allow a manager to handle twice as many
direct reports as his sales managers handle now.”

“Great,” Joe said, “but let’s keep reviewing the Acts in order.
What about Act 5? What was the best part of the story you told him
when you sold your company? What really grabbed his attention?”

Matt took his time, recalling the way he had handled Act 5. “I
think I did well with the ‘quick and painless’ angle,” he said. “That
was especially important to Iverson, and I presented it as a central
feature that distinguishes us from the competition. You know, the
fact that we’ve already dealt with the issues around software
integration.”





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Act 9 Replay the Call

“Okay,” Joe said. “How many TFBRs did you present in Act 6?”

“Three,” Matt answered. “Seamless solution, quick and painless,
simplify the sales-management process. Joe, it was amazing. The
difference between my product presentation to Bob Howell
yesterday and the one to Gary Iverson today was just flat-out
incredible. I wish you could have been there to see it.”

I have seen it, Joe thought with a smile. Why do you think I’m
insisting we use Action Selling?
TFBR uses a target
But Matt wasn’t finished. “I mean,
I got excited on the airplane when I rifle to aim at needs
figured out where you were going with instead of blasting
the TFBR approach as opposed to away with a shotgun.
‘show up and throw up,’” he said. “But
holy smoke—the actual experience of using a target rifle to aim at
needs the customer has already agreed to instead of blasting away
with a shotgun. Talk about grabbing the guy’s full attention! And
this is despite the fact I didn’t handle Act 6 as well as I should have.
You see, I…”

“Hold that thought,” Joe cut in. “We’ll come back to it. First,
take me through the rest of the “The ‘future event’ took
call. You said you ran into a stall
in Act 7?” his mind away from the
money he was spending.”
“Yep. When I quoted the
price and asked for commitment, Iverson said he wanted to think it
over and I should call him next week. I used the reserve TFBR you
suggested—our two-year warranty, and how it eliminates the risk of
doing business with us. When I asked for commitment the second
time, I got it.”


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Action Selling

“Good job,” Joe said. “And how did Act 8 go? What did you do
to ward off buyer’s remorse?”

“Thanked him for the business and assured him he made the
right decision, of course,” Matt said. “And it was fascinating to
notice how scheduling the ‘future event’ took his mind away from
the money he was spending. By the time we got done arranging next
week’s meeting with our technical people and his IT staff, he was
actually rubbing his palms
“ I was able to manage together, looking forward to it.”

the conversation and “Yes, interesting how that
guide its direction with works, isn’t it?” Joe said. “Now,

my questions.” two final questions you should
ask yourself to complete Act 9.

First, considering the entire sales call, what do you think you did
best?”

Matt thought it over. Finally he said, “It’s more like what Action
Selling allowed me to do.

I’ve never felt so much in control of a sales call. I had a specific
strategy. I was able to manage the conversation and guide its
direction with my questions. I felt as if I were steering the whole
process from start to finish. And the strange thing was, I was doing
it mostly by listening instead of talking. It really did feel like a
drama, with the acts leading to a logical, inevitable conclusion. And
I wasn’t just one of the actors, I was also the director. Oh, how I wish
I’d known about this nine years ago.”

Joe smiled. “Welcome to the world of Action Selling,” he said.
“Last question: If you could improve one thing about your



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Act 9 Replay the Call

performance in that call, what would it be? You started to mention a
problem in Act 6?”

“Yeah, I got a little long-winded as I worked through the TFBR
process,” Matt said. “I started to repeat myself, going back over
some of the same ground I covered in Act 5 when I was telling my
company story. When I realized what was happening, I cut it off and
moved ahead to Act 7.”

“So,” Joe said, “you think you need to get better at shaping your
solution’s features and benefits into the form of more succinct and
powerful TFBRs? Have I got that right?”
“Exactly,” Matt said.

“Do you have a plan for how to do that?”

“Not yet,” Matt said.

“Well, suppose you pick, say, our seven best product and service
features and the customer needs they’re most likely to address. Then
figure out how you would present those features as short and sweet
TFBRs.”

“Good idea,” Matt said.

“You could write them down. Then give me a call next week and
we’ll go over them. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great,” Matt said. “How does Wednesday look for
you?”

“You’d like to go ahead with it then?” Joe asked, starting to grin.

Suddenly Matt caught on and laughed. “Hey! You just used
Action Selling to get me to commit to…”


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Action Selling

“I think we are “What, you thought Action Selling was

all going to make only for salespeople, not for managers?”
Joe said. “I can talk to you next Wednesday
a lot of money.” at 2 o’clock, my time. Will that work?”


“Sure,” Matt said. “Hey, have I said thanks?”

“Yes, you did. You’re welcome.”

The silence stretched for five seconds. Then Matt said, “Joe? I’m
going to make a lot of money, aren’t I.”

“Yeah, Matt,” Joe said. “I think you’re going to make a lot of
money.” And you’re just one of our salespeople, he thought. He
looked at the chart on his office wall, mentally revising the
company’s sales goals for the year. “I think we’re all going to make
a lot of money.”

































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Epilogue






Epilogue And then


there

was 3D



18 months later . . .



J oe didn’t get more than two steps into Matt’s Denver office before

Matt was on his feet to greet him.
“It’s great to see you, Joe,” Matt said. “How was your flight?”

“Everything went smoothly. Can’t say I learned much, though,
except that it’s pretty flat between here and Chicago.” The notion that
airline flights were supposed to be learning experiences had become a
standing joke between them. “How are you doing, Matt? It’s been, what,
four months since I’ve seen you? How are Linda and the kids? ”
“Never better,” Matt said. “Life is good.”
This was true, and it showed. Matt had told Joe before about the
surprising spillover benefits that Action Selling gave to his family life as
the system became second nature to him. (“Joe, it’s amazing what
happens when you actually listen to your wife and Ask the Best
Questions until you truly understand her! Is this normal? Does Action
Selling do this for everybody?”)

Matt was, quite plainly, a happier man than the one Joe had first met
on that memorable swing through Seattle. His whole demeanor spoke of
confidence and a sense of competence that was entirely new. And even if
your manner didn’t tell the story, your numbers would, Joe thought.


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Action Selling

You’re one of our top salespeople, Matt—no small achievement in a
sales force that is lighting up its industry since everyone got trained in
Action Selling.

After a little more catching up, the two settled into Matt’s office and
got down to business. “Is everything set for our call on RWS Advisors
tomorrow?” Joe asked.

Matt nodded. “We’re on for 9 a.m.,” he said. “We have one hour with
the four of them: John Williams, my original contact, plus Kevin Robb,
Al Shaffer, and Julie McNeil. It really helped that I was able to play you
like a trump card, Joe. My relationship with Williams might have been
strong enough to get me a meeting with all of them, but when I said I
wanted to bring in our chief sales officer, that sealed the deal.”

“Yes, when it comes to getting the ears of decision makers, like titles
attract,” Joe said.
“I’m really looking forward to making another joint call with you,”
Matt said. “Wow, who’d have believed 18 months ago that I’d ever be
saying that?”

Joe laughed. “You think you’re surprised?”
Matt let the jab pass. “That’s not the only reason I’m glad I called
you for help last week,” he said. “And from what you said, it sounds as
if I’m going to be gladder still. Action Selling Three Buyer Types? Is
that what you called it?”

“That’s its name,” Joe replied. “It’s an advanced concept from
Action Selling. It zeroes in on how to manage complex sales--you know,
deals with multiple decision makers. Your call came at a perfect time
because RWS is a perfect example of how The Three Buyer Types
applies to our business. This will be a great opportunity for us to use it
in the field.”
With that, Joe reached into his briefcase….






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Epilogue

One week ago…


Matt’s phone call to Chicago had found Joe at his desk. “I think I
may be in trouble,” Matt said. “How much do you know about
accounting firms?”
“OK, I’ll play along,” Joe said. “Practically everything I know about
CPAs comes from a golfing buddy of mine who is one.”
Matt explained his problem.

Matt had been calling on John Williams, one of three partners whose
name was on the masthead of RWS Advisors, a mid-sized accounting
firm based in Denver. “John heads their tax unit, which is their largest
business unit, a little bigger than their audit division,” Matt told Joe. “I
thought John was the decision maker for a product like our All-in-One
software. He talked like the decision maker. He gave me the needs I
was looking for to prepare a presentation. I was ready to price the deal
out and submit my final proposal.”

Matt explained that he was trying to schedule a final proposal
meeting when Williams, looking over his calendar, mentioned that he
had an executive team meeting the next week, a partner’s meeting the
following week, and something involving his practice development
manager—whatever that might be.
“He began to sort of think out loud about his schedule,” Matt told
Joe. “He was using terms and titles I’d never heard—or, if I did, I hadn’t
paid much attention: ‘principle, partner, director, manager.’ And he
talked as if the ‘executive team’ was something distinct from ‘the
partners.’

“All this time I had been excited because we do practically no
business with professional services firms, and I figured this deal might
help open a new market for us,” Matt continued. “But suddenly I had
two horrible thoughts. First, John Williams might not be the decision




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Action Selling

maker after all. And second, I didn’t understand how my customer’s
business was structured, or who the players were, or how their
relationships worked. And now it was too late in the game for me to
admit that to Williams.”

Over the phone Joe heard three thumps that might have been Matt
slapping himself in the forehead. “And I thought I had gotten really
good at Act 3,” Matt said. “I feel like a complete jackass.”

Matt had left Williams’ office an hour ago. His Commitment
Objective for the call had been to schedule a final proposal meeting, and
he did. “But the more I think about it, the more I worry that a price
proposal at this point will be premature,” he said. “I suspect there are
other buyers and influencers hiding in the weeds, maybe including the
real decision maker. Instead of presenting a final proposal to John, I
probably should be conducting a needs analysis with some other players.
But I’m not even sure where to look for them. If they had titles like
CEO, CIO or Marketing VP, I’d be on steadier ground. But with this
firm, I just don’t know.”
You may feel like a jackass, Matt, but you don’t sound like one, Joe
thought. You aren’t trying to hide your mistake or blame anybody. You
just want to know how to land the deal. This is how capable people ask
for help. You really have come a long way.
Joe briefly explained what he knew about the structure of
professional services firms, beginning with the fact that “executive
team” probably referred to the managing partners (as opposed to any
number of other partners), and that one of them most likely was the key
decision maker.
“I think you’re right about the need to find and talk to some other
buyers,” Joe said. “The good news is you've caught me at an opportune
moment. What you have on your hands is a complex sale. It so happens
that I just previewed a new Action Selling concept that focuses
specifically on how to navigate your way through a complex sale. It’s
called The Action Selling Three Buyer Types.”


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Epilogue

Matt was silent for a full five seconds. “You’re not kidding?” he
asked finally. “There’s something more to Action Selling, like advanced
concepts? It’s going to save my bacon again?”
Joe laughed, delighted with the effect of his news on Matt. “Am I
the world’s most remarkable boss or what? Hey, I’ll tell you more next
week, before we call on your CPAs,” Joe said. “And, I’ll show you a
neat Laminated Card that illustrates the Three Buyer Types process.”

“Whoa, back up,” Matt said. “We are going to call on my CPAs?”
“Well, you know I’m coming to Denver next Tuesday anyway for a
branch performance review, right? And you need to convince Williams
to let you meet with some other decision makers. I can be flexible with
my branch review to accommodate their schedules. It might help you
land the meeting you want if you can say you’d like to bring your chief
sales officer into the picture.”
Matt pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it as if he
expected a rabbit to pop out. “You’re right,” he said finally. “You really
are the world’s most remarkable boss. And thanks. But now, how do I
get Williams to put the right people in the room with us when I have no
idea who they are?”

“Come on, you know this,” Joe said. “You let him lead you to the
right people by Asking the Best Questions. If your new Commitment
Objective is to gain his agreement for a meeting with other key decision
makers, what kinds of questions might you ask to reveal a need for such
a meeting and then get him to identify and enlist the appropriate
players?”














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Action Selling

Together, they quickly came up with three questions for Matt to put
to Williams:
1. When you have initiated projects like this in the past, how
important has it been to get input from other key people inside your firm
so they have some equity in the solution that you recommend?
2. What other key decision makers would it make sense to involve
so they can voice their ideas and concerns?
3. Leverage Question: What could happen if we didn’t give these
people a chance to provide their input into the plan?
“My meeting with Williams is scheduled for next Wednesday,” Matt
said. “If all goes well, we can keep the date and just change the cast of
characters. I’ll know for sure before you come into town on Tuesday.
Thanks again, Joe.”
“See you next week,” Joe said. “I’ll be the guy with the Colorful
Laminated Card.”
































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Epilogue

Back in Matt’s office…



The colorful object that Joe pulled out of his briefcase in Matt’s
office and handed to Matt was a Laminated Card with three people
images and a matrix below them.
“Action Selling now has added this to its training course.” Joe said.
“You and the rest of our sales force will be learning how to apply it. For
now, I’m just going to give you the basics.”
Action Selling, he explained, teaches that in any complex sale there
are likely to be three distinct types of buyers. They play different roles
in their organizations, have different goals, and therefore have different
buying criteria. Joe pointed to the three people icons in the Buyer Type
graphic.
Specialist Buyers have expertise with the product or service solution
you are selling. Their role is to screen various options. They care about
whether the solution meets certain specifications. Their key goals are
career enhancement and job satisfaction.

End User Buyers either use the solution or supervise people who do.
They care about how well the solution performs. Like Specialist Buyers,
their goals have to do with career enhancement and job satisfaction.

The Ultimate Decision Maker (UDM) has the authority to approve
the final buying decision. UDMs have bottom-line responsibility in the
organization. They care about the financial outcomes that would result
from the purchase. The UDM’s goals are efficiency and return on
investment.
These different buyer types must be sold to differently, Joe
explained. In Action Selling terms, this means that in every call, each
Act must be tailored to the appropriate buyer type. The types require
different Commitment Objectives, different questions to draw out needs,
and presentations that are aimed at different target desires.




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Action Selling

Matt nodded enthusiastically and began to speak, but Joe raised a
hand and cut him off. “I know,” he said. “You’ve been doing some of
this tailoring intuitively. The reason I know is because that’s the only
way you could have won some of the major accounts you’ve landed this
past year. But you haven’t had the language or the concepts to approach
it systematically. Neither did I. That’s what Action Selling now provides.
It lets us treat complex sales situations in a way that’s much closer to a
science. And, The Three Buyer Types makes complex sales far simpler
to manage.”

“I’ll bet I know something else that Action Selling Buyer Types
teaches,” Matt said. “I’ll bet it teaches that all three buyer types are
important—that the End Users and Specialists are not just hurdles that
the salesperson has to jump or avoid on the way to the UDM.”
Joe smiled like a teacher proud of a star pupil. “That’s something
else that your sales numbers lately would tell me you’ve figured out.”
But Matt was already thinking ahead. “My guy John Williams? I
think he’s actually an End User buyer,” Matt said. “So is Al Shaffer, who
heads the firm’s audit unit. He’s John’s counterpart and the third name on
the masthead. The UDM will be Kevin Robb, the managing partner.
“But John and Al are going to be hugely influential in any buying
decision,” Matt went on. “I suspect that either of them could spike the
deal in an instant. That’s what made me think of the fact that the UDM
isn’t the only buyer who’s really important. Everybody has to be
onboard.”

“What about the fourth person in tomorrow’s meeting? Julie McNeil,
was it?”
“Yes, Julie is the practice development manager. That’s professional-
services lingo for business development. She was hired two months ago
to help market the firm and increase revenue in each of its business units.
I suppose she’s our Specialist Buyer. Obviously she’ll be a key player in
any decision about our All-in-One product. And I didn’t know she existed



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Epilogue

until I finally asked John Williams the RIGHT QUESTION!”
Matt shook his head ruefully, still angry at himself.

“Stop beating yourself up about it,” Joe said. “If any of us ever reached
a point where we had nothing left to learn, there would be no need for Act
9. Let’s talk about how we’re going to work tomorrow’s call.”
“Well, since it’s a sales call, and we’re professional Action Sellers,”
Matt said, smiling, “we know that most of our time will be spent asking
questions and listening carefully to the answers.”
Joe smiled back. “I’m tied up this afternoon with the branch review,
so I’m going to let you figure out some of the best questions we can ask.
But let’s talk a bit about how those questions should be tailored for each
buyer type.”
They agreed that questions for Julie, the Specialist, should be
designed to reveal ways in which the All-in-One package would meet
the specifications she was looking for. Also, how would she personally
be better off if the firm chose All-in-One as a solution?
Questions for John and Al, the End User Buyers, should reveal
different information: How will the product allow their staff to perform
better? Will anything hinder them from adopting it? How will the
product make the business unit leader’s job easier? How will it improve
the image or status of their individual business unit as a whole?
As for Kevin, the Ultimate Decision Maker: What is the financial
payback for an investment in the product? What would success look like
in terms of ROI for the firm?
Matt agreed to prepare some specific questions for each person,
designed to draw out ways in which each buyer type would benefit from
the key capabilities of All-in-One. “I’ll have them ready before our call,”
he said.
“Well, I’ve got other things to do and you’ve got some things to
figure out,” Joe said, preparing to wrap up their meeting. “I look



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Action Selling

forward to working with you tomorrow, Matt. And, I think you were
right when we talked last week: This could be a door into a new line of
business for us in professional services.”
Matt looked at him with open admiration and affection. “I don’t
think I need to say that I look forward to working with you again, Joe,”
he said. After reflecting for a moment, he added, “You know, you told
me I was going to make a lot of money after I learned Action Selling.
And I have. But I think that once I learn and master the Three Buyer
Types, I’m going to make a lot more.”
Joe gazed at the Laminated Card as he handed it to Matt. “I think
that’s true, Matt,” he smiled. “I think we’re all going to make a lot more
money.”







































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Action Selling
Why do sales calls fail without a Commitment Objective? Why is it
critical to sell yourself first before discussing products or services
with customers? What are the key skills that gain commitment with
customers? The answers are found in Action Selling.



Selling Your Price
Order this book and learn how to create a value proposition that
justifies a higher price in the customer's mind. Learn how to avoid
pricing wars and shrinking margins, all while building quality
relationships.




Questions: The Answers to Sales
In this book you'll learn why three quarters of selling takes place
when the salesperson is seriously listening to a customer's wants and
needs, and not when the salesperson is talking.





Masters of Loyalty
Research shows that 75% of customers actually leave a supplier
because of a reason other than dissatisfaction. Learn what it is and
what you can do about it.



Sales Strategy from the Inside Out
Complex selling is far less complex if you know a systematic
approach to the sales process—one based on serving the needs of
every person involved in the buying decision.





To order books:
Go to www.ActionSelling.com for easy
online ordering of these books.

103

Get Trained and Certified as an
Action Selling Professional!

















Want to learn more about how Action Selling can help your organization
realize its full sales potential? For information about training and certification
for yourself or your sales force, contact The Sales Board.
The Action Selling system will transform what your salespeople do AND
their commitment to winning. Your salespeople will become better goal setters.
They will learn to take purposeful steps that lead to commitments and self-
accountability. This program will power revenue growth. It will provide skills
that can be applied to success in sales and in all parts of life.
A recent study by The Aberdeen Group compared companies with sales
forces trained in Action Selling to those that received other types of sales
training. In Action Selling-trained companies, 54% more reps achieved quota
year-over-year than in other companies trained in other methodologies. Action
Selling-trained sales reps made larger sales on average, saw a higher customer-
retention rate, and achieved a faster sales cycle than reps who received other
types of training.
Salespeople participate in a highly interactive two-day training session
facilitated by our talented trainers or by their own Action Selling-Certified
managers. Salespeople then take part in Skill Drills to refine and reinforce their
new skills in the field. Accountability is built into the process with management
reinforcement, plus an assessment and certification system.
To learn more about the complete Action Selling training and certification
system, please contact us or visit our Website:

The Sales Board
(800) 232-3485
www.ActionSelling.com

About the Author
























Duane Sparks is founder and chairman of The Sales Board, the
authoritative source of practical and leading edge information about the art
and science of selling. He has created Action Selling sales training products
and learning systems that transform sales organizations. Duane is the author
of these best-selling books: Action Selling, Selling Your Price (How to
escape the race to the bargain basement), Questions (the Answer to Sales),
Masters of Loyalty (How to turn your work force into a loyalty force) and
Sales Strategy from the Inside Out (How complex selling really works).

In his career as a salesperson and sales manager, Duane has sold products
ranging from office equipment to insurance. He was top salesperson at every
company he ever worked for. While owner of one of the largest computer
marketers in the United States, he began to develop Action Selling. Even in
the roaring computer industry, his company grew six times faster than the
industry norm, differentiating itself not by the products it offered but by the
way it sold them. Recent additions to the Action Selling training program
include: Sales Leadership, Customer Relationship Professional,
Time/Territory Management, Prospecting/Pipeline Management, Strategic
Account Management and eLearning Action Selling.





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