The Meaning of One Conversation at a Time
We like to think that everything we do has real meaning and we like to think that meaning is obvious, so we were scratching our heads recently when a new member of our team asked, “What do we mean when we say, ‘One conversation at a time’?” We thought the question merited a quick blog, so here goes.
First, the word conversation is really meaningful for us. We much prefer sales encounters where we talk with prospects, rather than at them, so a sales meeting becomes a true engagement for both parties. You know the Stephen Covey principle: seek first to understand, then to be understood. We think that’s good advice in sales because it leads to proper conversation. What do you think? Is this how you experience sales calls?
We know sales people like talking – and we all understand the danger of talking too much. We think showing, rather than telling, is a powerful recipe for a sales call – just as it is for a book or a movie – and we think it helps to keep the conversation two-sided.
How does this relate to BuzzBoard? Well, we give you a compelling picture to show your prospects: an accurate picture of how their business is viewed by potential customers – and this is often very different from what they imagine people see. Then we give you an even more absorbing picture to show them: how their business is viewed against their competitors.
Once you show these pictures to your prospects, you usually get instant engagement. This is when the sales call gets really interesting because it’s at this point that you and the prospect start working together to improve their pictures. Now that’s what we call a conversation.
Secondly, one at a time has to be the most basic principle of B2B sales. Every prospect is unique and we believe that sales people are much more successful when they look at each one individually. It can be really tempting to group industry segments or locations together and think you can generalize with prospects that have these – and other similar factors – in common.
Yes, there can be value in this kind of grouping. We certainly like to speak the language of each industry segment in which we operate, and we know to respect the idiosyncrasies of each general location, just as we’re sure you do. However, there is a point beyond which you cannot hope to be successful unless you individualize. Another one of our favorite principles applies here: think global but acting local.
So how does this relate to BuzzBoard? It’s those pictures again. BuzzBoard lets you show each prospect precisely what their business looks like, and then it lets you show them how it compares. With these pictures you can help them build a view that attracts more customers… and who doesn’t like that?
Feel free to share your thoughts with us. As you know, we like conversations!
