Except for the oil spill, there's still really not much new. So, it's back to tales of the past. Today's isn't about any specific person or situation, just something that my recent entries about particular transactions reminded me of.
Throughout the years of my business career, the only thing of importance was, in one way or another, my personal production. Because everything I did for the majority of my business life was based on sales. And, regardless of the job levels I reached, and whatever the titles, or how many folks were on my various staffs, if the production wasn't there, neither was I. In sales, deals talk, losers walk and that's the way it should be. Folks don't hire people like me to listen to their excuses for non-performance.
Anyway, something I noticed about prospective customers was, that no matter how far up the ladder my positions, responsibilities, and authority went, in the customer's eyes there was always somebody higher. So, even when I ran my own show and prospects sought more accommodation of any kind, they'd ask questions like, "Can't you go to someone and ask for a better whatever?"
Now, in almost all cases there was always a limit to what could be done regarding customer accommodation, because sooner or later, you reach an optimum point and there's just nothing more left to discuss. Yet, from the customer's perspective they have really nothing much to lose by asking for more anyway.
And although in the vastest majority of cases you'd finally reach a point where the customer understood all questions had now been asked, all requests for accommodation had been made and, dealwise, that was that, often prospective customers wouldn't be satisfied until told that the highest of the high had examined the situation and had reached whatever the conclusion was.
Well, perhaps it's human nature, or business acumen, or simple common sense, but when almost any prospect was told that after final review the "powers that be" had concluded whatever the outcome was, such as a slight accommodation, a firm rejection of the customer's request or maintaining the original proposal, customers most often then accepted the results and went ahead with the transaction.
Since this end-game play by prospects came up fairly often, it consumed a lot of time, sometimes travel too because you'd have to go back to your office, re-review situations already decided then return at a later time. What was more, in many cases, I was the final decision-maker myself. But, customers rarely believed that.
So, in time I came up with I called the "drive around the block." When push came to shove and a prospect put their foot down, firmly demanding I take a pending transaction to some higher level for final adjudication, I'd pleasantly agree, take my leave, then euphorically, drive around the block.
I'd put the documents in my briefcase, and then depending on how far the customer's location was from my office, I'd return at a later time. If I was in a remote location perhaps, requiring real travel, I'd try to come back the same day, saying I'd held a meeting by conference call from my hotel room. If the customer was nearby I'd generally return a day later or so. In the meanwhile however, the transaction itself never left my briefcase, because being the final decision-maker, I'd actually be meeting with myself and reaching my own conclusions.
Yet, in the prospect's mind they'd taken a last but very important step. In an effort to insure they'd done all they could to secure the very best financial accommodations for their businesses, they'd not budge until that was done. And I, in trying to make sure my customer's had peace of mind in that regard, took their transactions for a drive around the block then returned them safe, sound, and unchanged a bit.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
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