Converting an Advocate into a Coach By Steve Kraner, TopLine Solutions, Inc.	<< Back
Coach or Gatekeeper? We were taught to find a ‘coach’ or internal champion to work the big deals. It’s a good idea, but it’s been turned around on software sales people. Software buyers go to schools to learn tricks to squeeze more out of you. A couple years ago, for example, someone told me about a tape being sold on the Gartner web site, titled “How to Squeeze More Dollars Out of Your Software Vendors.” It was a recording of a talk done for a group of CIO’s. I looked at their site recently, and that tape isn’t there any more, but there is a white paper called “RFP’s for Fun and Profit.” I am like Dave Barry – I am not making this up! Go look! One of the things they are being taught in these programs, is that sales people try to find ‘coaches.’ So they assign a person to be the ‘coach’ – one for each of the three bidders. (‘There shall be three bidders’ must have been carved on that stone tablet the Mel Brooks dropped.) The ‘coach’s’ job is to pretend to help, to control their access to other people in the organization and to keep them thinking either: They have competition (If they are the A vendor). They are winning (If they are B or C). There are five key litmus tests to determine if your internal advocate is a true coach. 1) You have their trust and confidence 2) They have the trust and confidence of the people in power. (Beware loose cannons!) 3) They have a personal stake in this project (your coach in the last project may not be your coach on the next). 4) You ask them to be a coach, and they accept. 5) They translate their words into action that helps you both move the sales cycle forward. This personal experience illustrates the importance of #4. The Friend who couldn’t Coach A personal friend recently called me into an account. Since he was a friend and had gotten me involved, I assumed he was a strong coach. Further, he gave me all the inside information – players, executives, motives, competitors, etc. He also got me in to see his boss – the ultimate moneyman. A red flag went up, however, when I asked to have access to 5 key players prior to a presentation to the group. I go the interviews, but so did the competitor. I called and asked my buddy, “Hey, that was my idea – why’s he doing it now?” My buddy said, “It’s only fair.” I said, “I don’t want to be fair, I want the inside track. Don’t you want a sales trainer who can do that?” He said, “I just want to keep the playing field level. My personal sense of integrity makes me want to be fair to all parties.” I said, “So I guess you’re not comfortable being my coach?” He said, “Steve, you know I like you. I brought you in and think your stuff is what our people need. I’m just not comfortable being your coach. It violates my sense of fairness” Now isn’t that a disappointment! I still won – but had to change my tactics. Everything I discussed with him to gain the upper hand, he passed straight on to the competition, in a sincere effort to “keep the playing field level.” I found it was better no to be so open with him. Further insight – My friend told me after I won that he felt bad, but he thought about it after we spoke and he felt that our friendship caused him to want to be extra careful to be fair, so neither he nor I would be penalized. Good Selling! Steve brings his dynamic leadership skills, honed by his training at West Point and experience as a paratroop commander and entrepreneur. A risk taker with a track record of successes and a taste for breaking new ground, Steve can walk the talk and sales teams buy in to his innovative approach to selling. He is a nationally published author on the topic of software sales, sales management and negotiating.
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Converting an Advocate into a Coach