Being in control. When it comes to the sales professional, it is an important aspect of their role in a customer meeting.  What does it mean to be in control?  In most of my experiences, being in control means running the meeting, doing the talking, and making certain the agenda (theirs) is covered.

Being in control with a salesperson is like being in a car with four people.  There is the driver, the front seat passenger, and the people that ride in the backseat.  The driver is always the salesperson.  The front seat passenger is always the customer.  And the people in the backseat are always those extra people who happened to come to the meeting that day, including the sales manager.

What’s wrong with this picture.  First, the driver can only do so much.  While driving they really cannot communicate effectively as they need to focus on driving.  And the driver really can’t observe much because they have to keep their eyes on the road.  Second, the customer really cannot interact with anyone else in the car because their back is turned to the two people in the backseat and the driver is busy driving.  Finally, there is the perception that the people in the back seat are only along for the ride, so their roles are to simply enjoy the trip.

Being in control does not mean the salesperson has to drive any meeting.

1. Being in control is establishing a clear set of criteria for a customer meeting, which includes the customer’s objectives, and making certain that the objectives are covered.
2. Being in control means facilitating a productive and informative conversation.  Sometimes that means letting others drive while observing and listening from the backseat.
3. Being in control involves keeping the interaction on track and ending the meeting at a point in time where the objectives have been covered, the time alotted for the meeting has been honored, and an action plan agreed to.

The objective of any meeting is to make certain that the sales process moves along.  It does not mean that the salesperson must drive.  Sometimes it is a good idea they don’t.  All being in control means is that the sales professional focus is on helping everyone arrive at their collectively identified destination together.

photo credit: robotography