The key to successful sales is to really deeply understand your prospects needs, wants, desires, and pain. There are many frameworks, scripts, and models that salespeople can use when having a sales conversation. However, it is extremely important to note that the bottom line of most of sales is to create a genuine connection and solve a genuine problem for the prospect. This means that sometimes you may have to deviate from the commonplace rules of sales. For example let’s say you’re in a conversation with a potential client for your software. You are nearing the end of your conversation with them, so you’ve talked about pain, you’ve talked about budget, and now you’re nearing the time for a decision. But the prospect seems to believe that your pricing is too high. This is a problem. But you on the other side, know that this is a huge client, and if you can work with this client now on this project, you will probably get to work with this client later on much larger projects, and they will be a lifetime customer of yours. Additionally you know that this software will genuinely make your client’s life easier, and will help them in all areas of their business. In this case you can strategically discount your price in order to accommodate the specific client. Although you are discounting your price, you secure the business from the client who will be a large partner of yours for many years to come. So, the lifetime value of that customer may not be realized up front, but because their lifetime as a customer just increased, you actually made more money. This is a great example of strategically bending the rules in order to secure business. Because at the end of the day business is business and can benefit you in one way or another. So I’ll end with this: “break the rules, but know why.”
By kuechlycj22
BoweryJE22 3 thoughts on “Strategically Bending the Rules”
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This was a great post! The reference to the tenth Sandler Rule, “Break the rules, but know why,” serves as a great reminder that true mastery in sales involves more than just adhering to a rigid playbook—it requires the ability to adapt and improvise based on the unique needs and behaviors of each prospect. I agree that you have to know the rules to “break” them. Good work!
This is a really good post! I think it’s extremely important as a salesperson to be flexible, so knowing when to “break the rules” is extremely important, to know when to go off script and adapt based on the environment of the sales meeting. Great stuff!
This is such a great post that encompasses this Sandler rule. The key here, like you said, it STRATEGICALLY bending the rules. Having a reason behind straying from the norm is so important. An example I can think of is shortening your pitch and budget discussion when it is obvious that the prospect does not care how much it is and just wants it done.