In 2006, the cleaning product industry was revolutionized by the "ShamWow" infomercial, a two-minute viral sensation that showcased not just a product but a masterclass in outcome-based sales technique.
Vince Sholomi's is a persuader but his approach was refreshingly different - no company pitches or technical jargon, just a focus on how the product could improve the lives of his potential customers.
If you haven't seen it, take a break and watch the hilariously persuasive commercial here.
Vince's invaluable lesson teaches us that customers aren't inherently interested in your company; they're primarily concerned with one question: Can you help them solve their problem?
How can the “ShamWow” inform your sales strategy?
ShawWow’ing your Sales Strategy:
In Jeff Thull's 'Master the Complex Sale,' he delineates three pivotal eras of sales:
Era One: The Persuader
This era relied heavily on possessing extensive knowledge about the product. Think of a door-to-door salesperson passionately describing a vacuum cleaner's ability to effortlessly pick up cheerios from shag carpets with a 3.4 horsepower motor.
This period birthed high-pressure sales tactics that inspired classic movies like 'Glengarry Glen Ross.'
Era Two: Problem Solver
Consultative selling emerged as a response to the previous era. I've personally employed this strategy.
It was all about asking the perfectly timed question: 'What keeps you up at night?' Mic drop, BAM!
While the prospect listed their concerns, I sifted through my product arsenal, ready to offer solutions to help them sleep better, regardless of their issues.
However, both of these sales strategies relied on the flawed premise that the prospect understood their own problems.
This assumption is shaky in today's intricately interconnected and rapidly changing business landscape.
Enter Era 3: The Advisor
During my tenure as Chief Revenue Officer at a sales enablement software company, we realized that while most sales organizations struggled to hit targets there was always one rep that consistently overperformed, yet no one understood why.
Initially, our job focused on educating sales leaders on how to dissect the successful salesperson's behaviours through data.
What was the architecture of a successful deal?
What was the sentiment of the prospect at each stage of the deal?
What were the most effective communication channels?
And what processes did the top quartile sales organizations use to enable their teams?
We were sales performance advisors.
Only after uncovering the clear differences between the performers and non-performers did we start to map solutions, guide them through the assembly of buying committees, ROI modelling, and foster cross-functional alignment for effective change implementation.
Era three necessitates sales organizations help define and deeply understand prospects' issues before guiding them towards solutions through education. The modern salesperson's skillset must evolve from a product knowledge specialist or curious question asker to a true business advisor.
What are a few immediate next steps?
Here are a few suggestions:
Develop a value hypothesis before prospecting to focus research efforts on potential problems in the target organization. A value hypothesis is your best guess at what you think the customer is experiencing.
Create personas within the target organization, understanding their roles and how they benefit from solving the issues associated with your value hypothesis.
Craft personalized communications for each persona, emphasizing education on industry perspectives, successful trends, and market impacts.
Persistence matters — research shows multiple communications across several channels are often needed to reach potential buyers. Slightly shifting the value hypothesis helps test for resonance.
Remember, your job is to close a sale, but it starts with educating prospects about their business issues rather than simply showcasing your company's offerings.
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