Sales Challenge: What would you do?
I recently went on a pitch with a client’s hunt team. We were supposed to be pitching to the first in command, but he was pulled away to a funeral at the last minute. He left a message for us while we were on the plane, so we didn’t listen to it until much too late.
We arrived at the prospect’s offices to present the results of a preliminary analysis of their operations and to detail my client’s company plan to help them. We were told that since the first in command was out, we would be meeting with the second in command.
Sales Challenge: The second in command is the eel in the deal.
We sat down in the board room and prepped for the meeting. What would you do?
Some options:
- Pitch
- Leave
- Improvise
- Other
What would you do in this situation? I want to hear your thoughts because I think that this type of scenario happens more often than we would like. Let me know what you think!
This may sound devious, but here goes… You’ve already spent time, money and energy on this presentation, so you present it to the eel. Can you think of a better way to run a dress rehearsal than with your worst [perceived] opponent/critic? When you reschedule the presentation with the first in command, you’ll have the advantage of knowing any of the negative aspects already, if the eel is forthcoming, PLUS the knowledge of just how well the eel informed/tainted your message to the first in command…very innocently, of course.
1IMPROVISE — like a S.O.B.! I would never pitch the eel head-on. I would probably find myself undercut and sabotaged. What I would do is improvise!
I would ask questions to get to an understanding of the “eels” thoughts on the deal. I would learn the inside secrets [there's a lot to do in that last statement.....] and then make my presentation even more focused for the “Big Cheese”.
This strategy assumes that the deal is large enough to support the extra trip and that the pitch team has enough savvy to be patient and not dangle pricing information ahead of meeting with the key decision-maker…
The right pitch on the wrong dude still works out to being a lost deal.
2IMPROVISE is right! The key is to think on your feet and use the eel as a source to gain all the constructive critisism you can.
Still give them just enough of the presentation key concepts so they have something to report back to the first in command. Don’t forget a re-cap via email to both eel & top dog, this will allow the tabel to be set for the next communications.
If the deal is important and I assume that since the team made the trip it was, use the meeting as positive step to reach along the journey.
The ability to improvise is a very important skill in so many situations, I’m glad you got us all thinking early in the week Tom.
3I would improvise like other have stated BUT!! No matter what happens that eel is going out for dinner and drinks after work with myself and the team. Try to get more “personal” and break the ice with him/her. You be surprised how much people loosen up after a couple drinks and away from the walls of an office.
4I agree with Kevin. Use this interaction to learn as much as possible. Give the eel all of the respect that you would and treat them as the decision maker. Ask them what works and what you need to change. Flattery will get you a lot of information. Take them out to dinner and get to be their friend…a good person to have on the “inside”. But I also agree with Daniel to not give too much information if the person does not appear to be on your side or if it is clear that they are not a person of influence with the head contact.
With that, if you can’t wait to meet with the decision maker, then leave them a kind note of condolence and reschedule a phone conf. or web ex in the following few days, and if necessary, reschedule a face-to-face ASAP, perhaps suggesting that the “eel” be there at the follow up meeting, if you have established a great rapport.
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