Which is the Best Way to Sell? | Christopher Anacker

Selling the Wheel: Choosing the best way to sell for you, your company, your customers by Jeff Cox (author of Zapp!) and Howard Stevens (Founder and CEO, the H.R. Chally Group) presents four sales methods correlated to four ‘stages’ of a product’s (or service’s) market development and each corresponding customer profile. As compared to evidence-based case examples, they instead chose to present these through a story about a man who invents the wheel back in the days of the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The inventor, and his wife, learn about the four different sales methods. Below is a paraphrase of what they present of the four market development stages and sales methods, but it’s best to review the book directly. These are summarized in the book in eight charts, occurring between pp. 243-250.

Birth / Closer
In the early stage of a new product or service, the likely customers are those who want to be the first to buy the product. The closer focuses on building the dream, using excitement to conquer the customer’s fear. This requires a high energy and exciting approach, with evangelizing, since you are selling a “vision, dream, or a better tomorrow.” Your primary contact is the top executive, the one who needs no one’s permission to buy. And, you inject a strong appeal to fear of loss or desire for fulfillment. Lastly, this type of sale is not unusual to include a one-time deal, where you never see the person again and don’t need to offer follow-up service.

Fast Growth / Wizard
As the product is catching on, the likely customers may be considered “progressive” … buyers who want an advanced solution and an increase in performance and are willing to pay a higher cost for those. And, you are likely to be dealing with a number and variety of people at different levels within your customer organization. A product in this stage may require custom-tailoring or the need for someone to help explain it or set it up. So, prospects are attracted to your knowledge and expertise, your technical savvy and smoothness in managing the technology, as well as the social and political elements to this stage. They tend to be impressed with your expertise (or at least your company’s expertise) as revealed in your by-lined articles, professional journal articles, or your speaking engagements. Sales at this stage emphasize good audiovisuals and sales literature and are typically won by recommending a smaller-scale pilot project, to show how the benefits outweigh the costs and headaches of change. You’ll find yourself at a number of formal, sit-down, conference room meetings. After the sale, you’ll be counted on to help minimize the disruption to the customer’s operations. Well-documented measures of strong performance results will help with add-on sales and new projects. Your focus will be on establishing good, working relationships.

Incremental Growth / Relationship Builder
As more and more customers are using the product, the likely customers are those who prefer a reliable, accepted product, while still having features and delivery options to suit them, although they don’t need a unique design built for them. Products in this stage gain more features and options, although real advancement comes in smaller steps. Still, the customer needs help dealing with the complexity. Prospects and customers are attracted to company’s reputation for being up-to-date, a champion of today’s standard, and being established. Your focus will be on finding “accounts,” (as compared to merely ‘projects’). And, you are likely to meet some of your better customers through referrals or through networking. They will be attracted to your solid citizen profile, your fun-loving, likeable, hard-working character, your warmth and friendliness, your loyalty and ethics, and your willingness to go the extra mile. Your success lies in creative problem-solving, resolving objections, giving personal attention to details, closing, being dependable in delivery, and establishing good relationships for repeat business. You’ll often be dealing with middle managers, and perhaps more often than not, the sales process will take months, if not years. Also key to your success here is in building a bond of trust. The ‘winning’ of the sale may really happen on the golf course or at a restaurant. Price may be an issue but only secondarily. Your ability to meet special specifications and delivery requirements will matter more. You’ll win more repeat business by maintaining regular contact, being a customer advocate within your own company, expediting orders, resolving issues and mistakes quickly, and understanding individual preferences.

Maturity / Captain and Crew
At this point, your product is seeing widespread use by the majority of the potential market. At the same time, you may be offering a reduced number of features and options, as you focus on the essential product and aim to make it simpler and easier to use. The likely customers prefer a standard product at a great price, in a quick, no hassle purchase, with easy checkout. Prospects and customers of products in this stage will prefer a sales person to be helpful, courteous, efficient, pleasant, upbeat, outgoing, average ‘everyday’ type like them, someone who is able to withstand constant public contact without burning out, and someone who has the authority to bend the rules selectively when it will make a difference. Your key to success in the stage will be to offer consistent quality and low price, with a focus on customer retention and loyalty. Although the sales process will be much simpler and shorter, with a stronger focus on price and a good, hassle-free return policy, you will have a stronger need for more, extended marketing over time, as the true relationship is not between the sales person and the customer but between the brand and the customer. Perhaps the ideal brand image is thrifty, efficient, quality at a great price. And, perhaps it helps to have the product offered in a lot of accessible places, with free product trials, coupons or other price incentives.