I was coaching a client earlier this week. We were working through a particular deal coming up for renewal. The customer is very happy with the products that we're selling them, and everything's going well, but we need to sell them more this time around because, well, the nature of the business for most companies is that you need to grow, right?

When I asked the seller what the problem was that they were solving, that's where the conversation went a little quiet. It turned out the biggest problem was that the customer didn't have a certain set of products.

Me: “Okay, that's a problem for you. Is that a problem for the customer? What does the customer feel?”

Client: “Well, the customer feels like everything's going great.”

Tell me if you’ve heard this story before…

So now we're solving for a problem on the customer side that doesn't exist, and that's tricky. When there’s no real problem to measure against, your deal essentially devolves into an argument about how much your features are worth. Nobody wins an argument.

If the customer has a problem and you have a meaningful solution, you probably have a deal. If the customer doesn't have a problem that you can solve or doesn't have a problem at all, there's nothing there for you to sell.

If you work for a publicly held company, or a privately held company with shareholders who are expecting a return, flat to negative growth is not an option.

Sometimes there’s no way around it. Customers just buy less of what you're selling because the market dictates it. Then it’s incumbent upon you to go find other places where new revenue can exist.

So what do you do in this scenario? How do you negotiate this? I shared a couple of weeks ago that you could look for a third alternative. Maybe you could pour your efforts into something else.

My answer here is actually kind of similar. It's about understanding your customer’s unspoken problems before they come up. You don’t want to wait until it's time to ask for another order to go spend time with them.

I remember being right outside an office waiting for an appointment when the purchasing manager at this hospital was talking to another rep. That rep tried some kind of hard close that didn't work, and he walked out without an order.

I walked in and said hi to my customer, who knew I had just overheard the previous exchange.

He said, "Man, that guy only comes in when he wants something. I see you regularly. We sit and talk. Sometimes we talk about work, sometimes we talk about hockey, beer, what have you… I have all kinds of stuff I can talk about with you, but this guy only calls when he wants something. He only comes in here and asks for money."

I knew a lot about this customer and his department. I knew a lot about what he needed, and I knew a lot about what I would never sell him. But there was always a conversation to be had, and I always had an opportunity to dig for something new.

When the right opportunities came up, I was there for him. When there was no opportunity to solve a problem, I didn't make a sale, but that was okay because this guy was gonna be my customer for longer than just the next quarter.

Everybody on the team is carrying this kind of pressure, but they’re not all handling it the same way.

What do the top performers on your team do when they know that they need to grow? When they know that they're not gonna be allowed to stay flat or get away with their customers reducing their spend?

How do your top performers make your customers realize that they’re always someone worth talking to because they always have something worth talking about?

I’ll bet they can’t explain it to you.

I had a small handful of leaders take me up on my offer to bring some of my summer content to one of your sales team meetings. The offer still stands if you’d like to make your team think a little differently (and not have to come up with content for that week).

I’ve been thinking a lot about creativity recently, and how sometimes it can feel like the opposite of productivity. One of the most productive things I did this past week was design and build a raised bed for an herb garden. I do some of my best business-related thinking while my hands are busy doing something decidedly non-work-related.

What do you do to put yourself in that space? Hit reply or leave a comment.

Unassuming. Self-deprecating. Sarcastic. Always along for the ride, and he'll never let a good bit go until you tell him to cut it out already.

Matt Green and I have been in similar orbits for years, and he's one of my favorite follows on this platform. His feed is where you see every one of those adjectives, and it's one of the most authentic ones you'll find here. He kicks out real value on a wide range of sales topics, daily.

I've helped with some of Sales Assembly's programs over the years, so I can also tell you he's kind, grateful, and generous. Three of my favorite qualities in a person.

His stories about his "pet human" also remind me to enjoy the time with mine. They're both already taller than Matt.

If you don’t know Matt, you should.

It’s going to be another beautiful day, and I’m really excited about the menu I’m preparing for dinner. Thanks for being here with me.

Cheers,
JB