SELLING WITH Kahle By Dave Kahle
Measuring partnerability ’ experience that a salesperson can visit an account once or twice, and make some valuable observations about the partnerability of that account—the likelihood of that account developing into a partner one day. In my seminars, I’ll often ask the group to develop a list of plusses and minuses. Plusses are characteristics or behaviors of the account which increase the likelihood of the account developing into a partner. Minuses are the opposite—characteristics or behaviors of the account that decrease the likelihood that it will one day develop into a partner.
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1. Good
rod ct ser ice fit
Let’s say you offer 10 products. Brill Brothers Manufacturing Co. can use all 10, and all of them are important to their business. ones Industries can use two of your 10, and neither of the two is really central to their business. Who is the better product service fit? Clearly, it’s Brill Brothers. Notice the two issues for product service fit: the degree to which an account can use your products or services the degree to which those products services are important to them.
2. Personal chemistry.
This speaks to the personal relationship between you and the customer. On one hand, a professional salesperson ought to be able to build positive business relationships with anyone. On the other, it’s a whole lot easier with some people. If most of the important people at Brill Brothers like you, are comfortable with you, and trust you, it’s going to be much more likely that they will grow into a partner with you than ones Industries, where there is just a little tension
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between you and most of the important people there. The personal chemistry isn’t the same.
3. Good management.
ou don’t invest your money in stocks that are doomed, and you don’t invest your time in losers either. If a company appears to be well organized and well managed, chances are it’s going to grow or at least survive. On the other hand, those that are characterized by high employee turnover, bad attitudes, sloppy and unorganized facilities and no plans are likely to struggle in the future.
4. Compatible philosophy.
Some accounts are strictly price buyers. That’s great if your organization strives to be the low-cost provider in commodity markets. ou’d have a compatible philosophy. owever, if your company positions itself as a val-
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ue-added provider, or the high-quality choice, then you are never going to be comfortable with, or important to, the “buy the lowest price no matter what” philosophy. The more compatible your philosophies are, the greater the likelihood that will develop into a partner one day.
5. Personal respect and accessibility.
In some accounts, all vendor salespeople are viewed as “peddlers” and dealt with accordingly. These are the accounts that give you 1 minutes in the conference room with a junior purchasing agent and then dismiss you. Others give you the plant tour, show you their future plans, introduce you to the P’s, and solicit your thoughts and ideas. They see you whenever you say you have something of value for them, and they respect your insights. That’s good. Building-Products.com
