Salespeople Who Think Like Engineers Sell More
Theodore von Kármán, the founder of Aerojet and a founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory once said, “The scientist discovers that which exists; an engineer creates that which never was.”
Did you know that there's a connection between successful salespeople and engineers? There is and it’s good for your prospecting strategy, and to sell more.
Think about your last sales call where you called on a prospect. Ideally, you had a reason to call on that prospect. You identified an industry, a stage of growth, or other characteristic that led you to believe that you had a prospect worth pursuing. You made the sales call to confirm what you believed.
During the sales call you asked questions to uncover the prospect’s needs. Perhaps this prospect was telling you about his gap in performance. You could hear a reason to improve it (and sell something), but this prospect wasn’t hearing it. He just couldn't see what you were seeing.
That’s where the salesperson has to think like an engineer.
Mistake of Playing Devil's Advocate
Salespeople interpret what prospects say and hear what they need. Salespeople have to cross the chasm of when a prospect doesn’t understand why he should buy something to solve his need. That’s where the biggest challenge is.
You can’t insult a prospect by telling him that he just doesn’t get it. You’ve got to start a conversation where you lead the prospect to understand the consequences of his doing nothing. I’ve seen this done well and also done poorly.
One example of a poor strategy is when the prospect doesn’t see why he should buy and the salesperson says, “Well, let me play devil’s advocate with you.” He usually starts with statements that the prospect said and follows with a ‘‘but’’ to refute what the prospect has said.
What the salesperson is really saying is, “I know more than you, and your thinking is wrong. I’m going to disguise my point of view as being yours and I hope you don’t see that.”
Prospects do see it and it annoys them.
Think Like an Engineer
An engineer wouldn’t behave that way. Von Kármán, as a skilled engineer, used mathematical tools to study fluid flow. His interpretation of the results is what led to practical designs in aviation.
A salesperson thinking like an engineer, instead of playing devil’s advocate, will listen to a prospect and truly understand why the prospect thought the way he did. The salesperson would ask questions, not make statements, to confirm what he heard to understand, not to argue. Unless those questions bring the prospect to agreement, a salesperson might have to say something that won’t result in a sale during that sales call.
A salesperson thinking like an engineer would say, “I’m hearing that your concerns are A, B, and C. I have more work to do and need to get back with you at another time to address those concerns. Would that be OK?”
Engineers see what doesn’t exist and solve problems. Oftentimes salespeople are asked to do the same. Start thinking like an engineer when a prospect isn’t seeing what you do. You just might make the sale later instead of losing the sale now.
