Problem:
Lisa was angry. It had happened too many times. She recalled the old movie, “Network,” where the veteran news anchor said, “I’m mad as hell and I won’t take it any more!” After submitting yet another proposal, she determined that she was just one of several vendors who were being used to satisfy the prospect’s need to obtain competitive bids. They had already selected a vendor (often the incumbent), and Lisa’s numbers were just needed to fill in column B or C. That way the prospect could say that they had gotten several competitive bids. So that’s exactly how Lisa felt…”mad as hell.” She had no chance of getting the business - none, nada, zero. Although she suspected the worst, she spent hours developing her proposal - unpaid consulting at it highest form. The prospect misled her (again) and she didn’t know what to do.
Diagnosis:
First of all, prospects don’t always play it straight with salespeople. (Big surprise, right?) Basically, they’ll get away with whatever they can. Who can blame them. But, prospects aren’t the problem; salespeople are! First, they believe everything that the prospect tells them so when an “opportunity” presents itself, salespeople tend to think the probability of it closing is a lot higher than it really is. (Salespeople would make lousy bookies.) Second, they just don’t have the guts to ask the tough questions to find out if they’ve got a chance to get the business. Finally, they’re not sure how to broach the subject without upsetting the prospect.
Solution:
If you sense it, say it. (Gut check here.) “Mr. Prospect, I may be off base here, but I get the feeling that you’ve already made the decision to stay with Incumbent, Inc. and my biggest concern is that you may be asking for a proposal just because you need to have several bids, and the bottom line is I have little chance of getting your business. Is that a fair statement?” Pay close attention to the answer, not just the words, but also the tonality and body language. Was there tacit agreement or did the prospect make a good case for your having a good chance to get the business? The prospect’s job is to convince you that you do have a chance. If they can’t convince you, you’re just going to be column filler.