No, I’m not
talking about a physics or chemistry experiment. I’m describing a very
successful sales strategy that is used every day by many and that you can use
at the right time to help you succeed when competing with another provider.
Many of us have
seen professional engagements that we thought were “a sure thing” unravel at
the last moment. Often, the client
brings up an idea or concept that had not been part of our original discussion.
Frequently, this happens when a competitor has successfully shifted the
decision loop away from areas of our strength to areas of his strength. Sales pros have a name for this—Disrupting
the Loop—and it works.
Take a look at
this video of a BASKETBALL team using a FOOTBALL play on the court to score. The other team
looks totally sandbagged! They weren’t expecting it, weren’t ready to respond,
and were unsuccessful in defending against it.
How does this
work in real life?
One client shared
with me how he used this technique to his advantage:
“I was competing
with another and larger firm for an O & M (Operations and Maintenance)
training contract. I had the advantage, I thought, since I knew all the
operators and used to be one myself. But my competitor had raised the issue of
perceived quality: he could offer a group of trainers so that the material
would be presented by several people, with different styles, and at a
competitive price. My contact pointed out that learning styles are diverse and
suggested the wisdom of offering operators training from a team of trainers.
“I successfully
countered that having the training presented by ONE trainer would make it
easier to film and edit the training so that it could be shown to operators who
might be hired later, thus reducing the cost of future training sessions .
Filming or remote viewing, however, was not part of the original RFP. My having
successfully changed the discussion let me continue to compete for the
business, which I ultimately won.”
Early in my sales
career, I sold Rx health products in hospitals. I hated it. Everyone was forced
to follow the same procedure and had the same access; in other words, we all
had to play the same game. If you all start from the same place, speak for the
same amount of time, and offer roughly the same alternatives, there’s really no
competition. In the Rx business, the situation is even worse: price and even
“product claims" are controlled by regulation.
I like having the freedom to call a football play on the basketball
court. Don’t you?
Just because you
are selling professional services (training, legal representation, engineering
studies or drawings, etc.) to a long standing,friendly client, or selling into a situation
that you have worked on for weeks, don’t assume that you won’t have
competition. You still need to SELL your expertise, capability, and unique
abilities to your client. If the opportunity is a great one, there will
probably be at least someone else also pitching for the contract. Ask yourself how can you present yourself in a
unique way. If you are smaller, or
newer, or not as well known as your competition, how can you frame the
challenge in a way that will play to your strengths, not your weaknesses?
One powerful way
to frame your challenge is to reframe it!
When you disrupt the loop, you no longer compete on product,
performance, price—all those areas in which you may offer no advantage. Be creative: envision a scenario in which you
DO possess some unique merits—and you’ll come out on top.
