If you haven’t noticed already the approach of the Sales Bloggers Union is to write every two weeks on a different topic concerning sales. Every day during each two week period a different member of the group puts up their post…. well we are supposed to… and mainly we do. The interesting point about the union is that although we have the same topic to write about we each invariably take a different approach. We don’t get to see each others posts until they go up and it’s very interesting to see the variety we create. So in true SBU fashion I’m going to take my own approach to the current topic of Sales Motivation.

If I look at the dictionary definitions of the two words that form the current topic I come up with something like…

Sales (noun) The transfer of something to the ownership or use of somebody else, or the provision of something, e.g. a service, in exchange for an agreed amount of money.

Motivation (noun) A feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something, or something that causes such a feeling.

So the approach I’m going to take is how to motivate the buyer to buy.  I actually think that the current economic climate is responsible for a number of buyers lacking the enthusiasm to buy which will often knock the motivation of the sales professional – “How can I sell when there aren’t any buyers!” which as I’ve written it, it is not so much a question but a level of exacerbation. The problem is, and this is my contribution to the motivation of sales professionals, if the seller is not motivated by what are they doing then why should the buyer? If the seller is not enthused by what they are doing, then why should the buyer? So if you are selling and you are not motivated then boy do you have a problem! Hopefully you will find a number of my colleagues have written ways to help get your motivational juices going, but as I said I’m writing on how to get the motivational juices of the buyer going.

The good news is that companies are still spending. The bad news is that they are not spending so much and what they are spending has to be justified even better than it was before particularly if it’s discretionary spend. They don’t have to change the computer system just yet. They don’t have to invest in the latest gizmo that is claimed to bring untold savings. They don’t have to subject themselves to the latest consulting advice that will help them ever improve their business. They just don’t have to do it… and unless the motivation is there… they won’t do it.

So you are a seller – how do you get the buyer motivated? And who is the buyer? What I mean by this is that you could motivate middle management, but unless they motivate higher management then the sell won’t go ahead. In fact the one thing all CEOs have in common at this moment in time – cash preservation.

The motivation to buy is an extension of need. There has to be a need, which we all know, and the motivation is the juice that determines if the need is going to be met now. Motivation is an emotional quality and it has to come from within. The good news is that we use the emotional quality to help motivate the buyer by using a technique we call the Business Imperative.

The Business Imperative Analysis
Defining the business imperative is a question of research. Research can sometimes be both intimidating and long-winded, however, so to give your research the degree of focus that will be most beneficial for documenting your customer’s imperative, we (www.firtsborder.com) have created a framework in which to record the relevant information.The framework is a simple matrix of nine cells which, as you work through them, will lead you to an understanding of your prospect’s need. To make your results even more powerful, consult with your prospect at each stage and get them to help you with the answers. This will make the answers more accurate and also give you the wording for a large part of your proposal’s executive summary. Better still, your executive summary will be in the exact language your prospect uses to describe their situation and their need.

The framework is based on a simple consulting model and the emotional buying model. Management consultants use the ‘As Is’ and ‘To Be’ model as the basis of their change management approach. In our Business Imperative Model the ‘As Is’ is the current situation and the ‘To Be’ is the desired situation. How you get from the ‘As Is’ to the ‘To Be’ is the ‘What Needs to be Done’ cell.

The emotional model is the second set of cells describing the pain, pleasure and the stoppers. As humans, we only have two strategies for change; we want to move away from pain or we want to move towards pleasure. Most selling is based upon moving away from pain. For example, in the run up to the year 2000 most, if not all IT companies were out selling new hardware and software based on the fact that the incumbent systems would not be able to handle the dates in the new millennium. They sold on the fear that if systems were not changed then they would crash the second we move into the new millennium and severe business disruption would follow. Many bought into this approach, but some did not. The ones that did not were probably motivated by pleasure (benefit) and even though they could understand the ‘pain’ argument, they did not emotionally get it. As all buying is based on emotion – it has to feel right – these people were not motivated to change. Therefore, if you are selling to someone whose motivational strategy is unclear to you or you are selling to a group of people then you need to make sure you cover both the pain and the pleasure in your approach.

The final set of three cells helps augment your primary value to your customer. Asking your customer questions that make them think is by far the greatest value you can add. The I Wish I Knew (IWIK) cells are for you to compile some tough questions that help to quantify the pain, pleasure and stoppers in the customer’s mind. If the customer makes the connections themselves, in their own mind, then the business imperative becomes stronger and more real.

Complete each cell using short paragraphs of one or two sentences. The tool works best for reference or review if it can be kept to one side of A4/Letter paper.

That’s the gist of the tool. You can download an eBook that provides more information on how to complete the Business Imperative. If you are interested in an online workshop on how to use the Business Imperative then please contact me.

Our customers inform us that the Business Imperative has helped them secure millions of extra revenue because it allows them to have a business discussion. The format of only one page allows easy digestion of information as the whole motivation for progressing is laid out on a single side of paper.