Make Your Competition Tell the Customer his Baby is Ugly

By Steve Kraner, TopLine Solutions, Inc.

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Steve Reznikoff, President of Micro Systems Consultants, has extended the Sandler Selling System concepts to something he calls The White Board Proposal. He made a decision to stop spending hours writing extensive, fancy technical proposals in favor of meeting with the customer to sketch out a proposed solution on a white board.

He said this decision saved him time and, it saved deals. When we asked how it saved deals, he said two things happened at white board proposals. Both initially made him uncomfortable.

First, he’d start presenting, and his prospective customer would interrupt. They would even come to the board and take the marker and start erasing and drawing! Then he realized this was actually a good turn of events. He realized that every proposal he had done previously, sitting in front of his computer by himself, was doomed to end up off the mark. Instead of handing the customer a proposal with a ‘locked down’ design, the white board proposal allows you to discover the design is off track and allows you to correct it. It saved deals because his solutions were more on target.

Also, the customer participates in building the solution.

RULE: Given the choice, let the prospect build and own the solution.

Why? The more they help build it; the more it’s their baby. If the CFO tries to kill it by denying funds, they’ll fight for it. Added bonus - if a competitor enters the process and offers a different solution, you have installed the best competitive barrier possible. Your competitor will have to tell your prospect that his/her baby is ugly.

Second, the decision-makers would start arguing with each other about what the problems were and the best way to solve them. Steve then realized this was good, too.

RULE: If they are going to fight, let them fight early.

Why? Multiple decision-makers have to work through various points of view to reach consensus. If they can’t agree, you may as well find out early – to save your time, energy and expertise for another opportunity.

Finally, Steve suggests asking always to present live and last. Why? They may have gotten some good ideas from the guy who went before you. Only the last presenter has any real chance of closing. Ideally you wan to be first in, last out.

Of course this may not seem applicable if you’re selling on the phone – but it is even more important. How can you do it? Here are some ideas:

  • Ask them to ‘paint the picture’ verbally – then you send it back to them in writing.
  • Work with a channel partner who can be on site.
  • Fax or e-mail sketches/diagrams back and forth. A hand-sketched, custom diagram is a more effective selling tool than the glossiest piece of literature.


    • Let me know if you have other ideas…

    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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