Mind Over Matter
Randy, a strong sales leader, and former pro football player recently shared with us the foundation for one of his management philosophies:
When I was a rookie with the Cleveland Browns, Coach Bill Belichick once gave the following direction: “Tomorrow morning at 5 AM the entire defensive team is going to meet at the base of this hill and you all are going to run up and down it until we tell you to stop.”
Walking away from the huddle, and dreading the next morning, Randy had a brief conversation with veteran and star linebacker, Pepper Johnson:
RANDY: Tomorrow morning is going to be rough. Why is Coach having us do that?
PEPPER: Mind over matter.
RANDY: What?
PEPPER: Mind over matter. If coach doesn’t mind telling us to do something, we do it. It doesn’t matter what we think about it. Mind over matter.
And this is the way some organizations are run: if the boss doesn’t mind assigning a task, it doesn’t matter what the subordinate thinks about the task, he or she just does it. This approach is often referred to as “pushing” because the Manager “pushes” direction on the subordinate. As Randy says: “I try not to rely on mind over matter too much, but sometimes you have to.” He’s right, sometimes you push ideas down and other times leaders are more effective when they “pull” ideas from the people on their team. The pushing and pulling techniques also apply to the salesperson-client dynamic.
Your sales team is probably a bit less regimented than the National Football League. The key is to think about the situation and your audience in advance, consider your desired outcomes, and determine when and with whom it’s best to push or pull. Either approach can be effective or ineffective; it depends on the scenario. Top performing sales leaders and salespeople push and pull at the following times:
Sales leaders effectively PUSH:
- When they need to provide direction to a new team member or a team member working in a new area: “Since you’ve never sold that solution before you need to review the web tutorial before seeing that client again.”
- When time is limited: “The deadline is this afternoon. Please call them immediately to confirm the proposal.”
Salespeople effectively PUSH:
- If they have a wishy washy or “tire kicking” client that they can’t move to a yes or a no: “We’ve had a number of discussions about how this program will enable you to focus on your core business. I suggest we begin today.”
- When there is a time-sensitive deadline: “I recommend we get you started this month before our prices go up in July.”
Sales leaders effectively PULL:
- When they want to drive ownership and accountability: “What do you expect your metrics to look like at quarter’s end?”
- When they want to gather some creative ideas: “What do you think would be the best way to roll this new contest out to the team?”
Salespeople effectively PULL:
- When asking questions to better understand client needs: “Why is this initiative important to your organization right now?”
- When they want the client to help build the solution: “What will be the best way to engage your line managers as we roll out the new technology.”
You can use “mind over matter” and push when necessary, and you can pull when you want to be more collaborative in your approach.