How to Sell More. Harvard Business Review

purchase of storage technology is your coach and he is a guide. You’re guaranteed to win!

      However, the coach could be anybody inside the customer’s company, or even outside the company, such as a consultant working on the project. All of these advisors share a common characteristic. They have a selfish reason for wanting you or your company to win. This reason may range from the simple fact that they like you, to the complicated nature of politics, where your solution helps them gain power, prestige, or authority.

      Quite often, salespeople mistake someone for a coach when, in fact, the person isn’t a loyal compatriot. You should always have a certain level of paranoia about your coach. Is he secretly coaching the competition? Is he acting as your eyes and ears when you are not around? Is he truthfully telling you about what the other vendors are up to and about the preferences of the various selection committee members? Is he providing privileged and proprietary information to you that the other vendors aren’t receiving?

      One of the most important sales call goals is to develop a trusted coach—hopefully, a guide. Obviously, the more coaches you have inside an account, the better the quality and quantity of information you will receive. (Being at the mercy of a single person is a risky position to be in. What if your coach is wrong?) The information you get from these coaches can be used to determine your standing in an account, and help determine your course of action.