Coffee may be for Closers. But Orders are for Openers!
In the iconic film “Glengarry Glen Ross,” we all learned that “Coffee” is for closers. We learned the ABC’s of selling–Always Be Closing–and quite a few not-so-nice four letter words. Many sales people and their sales managers fancy themselves as great ‘closers’ and take great pride in being labeled as a good “closer”. If they find themselves in a sales pursuit, rest assured they will bring home the bacon. But true sales professionals can start a sales cycle as well as they can close it. In fact, the better you are at opening a Sales cycle, the easier it is to close it, and often, if the “opening” is strong, it closes all by itself.
Most sales campaigns are won or lost at the beginning not at the end. It is just that salespeople don’t find out until the very end if they won or lost, when it’s too late. When a Sales professional spends little time on the frontend of the sales cycle they will need to spend expanded time at the end of the sales cycle in attempting to “save” it. The contrast is equally true, when a sales professional spends most of their time on the frontend of a sales cycle; they enjoy the luxury of an easy closing scenario while their competitors are left scrambling trying to “close” the deal.
The difference between “Opening” and “Closing” sales cycles is the difference between Creating Demand and Capturing Demand. The reason win-rates are higher in Demand Creation sales cycles than Demand Capture sales cycles is that the proactive Sales professional has the unique opportunity to set the buying criteria and frame the sales dialog. In so doing, and by grabbing the dialog, the “opener” pre-empts the competition and forces them to march to their drum beat and align to the buying criteria that they have put into play.
Perhaps there is no better example than this year’s political campaign for the president of the United States. Although he wasn’t the very first candidate, Donald Trump entered the race with such force and a raw vengeance that is appealing to an angry public. It has enabled him to grab and set the dialog and shape the voter’s buying criteria. This shows, that it is not just the matter of who is first, but who is first to set and establish the buying (voting) criteria. At the time of this writing, the media and American public are still talking about what Donald wants to talk about. He has successfully sucked up all the oxygen in the room making it extremely difficult for any would be competitor to have a “voice” and erase his advantage. If he can keep and sustain his control of the dialog, he will win the Republican nomination as he continues to play hard in your face offense forcing his would-be competitors on their heels having to play catch-up defense. To be sure, there is still time for someone or some unforeseen event that could change the buying (voting) criteria, but for now, Donald is clearly in control, and that is why his campaign proves that “Coffee” is for closers, but “Orders” are for openers!
To Open a Sales Campaign is the epitome of Leadership. It demands casting a vision that can coalesce the support of followers who are convinced, or can be convinced that they are in some kind of bondage. The Biblical example of this type of Leadership is found in Numbers 33:1 where people dream of a new land flowing with Milk and Honey, the type of land and life that Donald Trump describes in every speech and assures his audience that if only they will follow (vote for) him, he will lead them there, and only he knows the way and only he can get them there!
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Recounting Israel’s Journey out of Egypt]
“These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.” – Numbers 33:1
Is Donald Trump positioning himself as the Moses who can lead people out of the slavery imposed on them by “big government”? You be the judge.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
