The multi-million dollar opportunity locked in … listening

A few years ago I found myself in the middle of Malawi, my mission was to sign on this new company as a client, but there I was in the Malawian ‘outback’ standing not too far away from my rental car, nauseous with a mild case of diarrhea and having dealt with it as best as one can, when out in the bush, with no building or even people in the nearby vivacity (I will not go into detail here but I think we all know what actually went down that day). Nonetheless after driving for a while, I eventually spotted someone walking along the road and asked him where I could get a doctor or pharmacy, he advised that there was none nearby, but that he could take me to a traditional healer as that was my best option, bearing in mind that I was in rural Malawi. I politely declined, the thought of taking some random herbal concoction, from a total stranger, with no formal qualification sounded like a bad idea. I valiantly pressed on and persevered and eventually got some over the counter medication which at least relieved my symptoms.

The experience left me feeling vulnerable and at the back of my mind I knew that I was still the main attraction at a dinner where my potential client would be present and no doubt watching me closely. The dinner got going and I still felt unstable and felt the weight of my assignment. When the time came to talk, all I could do was introduce myself to those who had not yet met me and I sweetly advised the group that “more than anything in the world, I just want to listen and understand what they wanted to achieve and what their challenges were”. (not my usual M-O, I am a talker, most sales people are) I spent the whole night nodding and smiling and just trying to stay alert.

The next day I was informed by one of the senior executives that I been awarded the business. I was stunned, I had not even presented my pitch and gone into the detail. It turns out my inability to bring my ‘A game’ sales pitch was the key to my discovering the power of just letting go and letting the potential client be the hero in the meeting. The feedback I got at a later point in time from the executives was that they were used to sales people and consultants talking at them and waving their credentials around like a badge of honor. What we (the client facing sales and customer relations folks) need to remember is that most of the time getting the meeting in the first place is an acknowledgement of your credentials. Going on and on about them can be seen as arrogance or insecurity, neither of which is good. For that deal in Malawi I still had to do the pitch so the audience could get the detail behind the product etc. However by the time I presented my sales pitch, I was able to personalize in a powerful way and with the confidence of knowing that the client had, in principle, agreed to take me on as a provider.

I now use this strategy deliberately thus I hardly ever pitch without first meeting with and just talking to the client about their business. My first meeting is almost always just to get to know and explore the potential client. I have been doing sales for many years since then and have closed many deals that collectively are worth millions of dollars. Late last year I relinquished ownership of the original business I had co-founded years before in exchange for full ownership of the business I now own and lead on a daily basis. I made the switch because I wanted to grow a company that focused on doing what many consider to range anywhere from difficult to impossible, a company where the client is the hero and obsession. My company, Loranico, does sales. We sell other people’s stuff for them in new markets across the world and we make their products and brands reach people and markets they never dreamed possible. People often ask what my strategy is and for me this is an easy question to answer; my strategy is to listen, to my client and to the market and to make sure I pair the two with precision so that the market is adequately served and my client grows their sales reach and revenue.

That unfortunate drive through Malawi all those years ago prepared and taught me my guiding principle, which today is the driving force of my business. ‘Gurus’ often talk about listening and everyone nods and smiles, but as with all things the power is in implementing the hell out of it. It is through listening that I have closed deals worth millions of dollars and it is because of listening that my business is growing today. Regardless what industry or form of employment or business a person is in, the value that can be derived from listening authentically and running with the information gathered is only limited by the persons ability and willingness to do just that. Listen and run.