Playing to Win

I really like to win. (And I was really pulling for TCU and UT in their bowl games this week, even though I went to Texas A&M). Notice I didn't say, "I hate to lose."

Recently I read the phrase, "Play to win. Don't play NOT to lose." According to Robert Caldini in his book INFLUENCE: The Psychology of Persuasion, people seem to be more motivated by the thought of losing something rather than gaining something of equal value. For example, homeowners are more likely to insulate their homes when they are told how much money they could lose from inadequate insulation vs. being told how much money they can save from adding insulation. This got me to thinking that there 2 types of sales people.

"Playing NOT to lose" sales people look like this:

• Doing things that hurt your company just so you won't lose a customer.


• According to Brad Isaac in his Persistence Unlimited blog if you say to yourself “I have to do ____ or else____ will happen,” then you are playing not to lose & subsequently focusing on losing.


• Playing it safe and letting fear guide you.


• Hoping your competitor will mess up instead of planning for every angle in the sales process.
  

"Playing to win" sales people look like this:

• Agreements benefit both parties.


• You trust your skills, talents and knowledge and use them confidently to win the business.


• You are not afraid of losing, you are afraid of not being able to provide your customer with the solution they need."


• You think of ways to thrill your customers rather than satisfy them.

In other words, you can play NOT to lose by playing it safe, doing what is expected and hoping for your competitors to mess up. Or you can play to win by using your arsenal of skills and talents to win customers and impress your competitors.

How to Lose a Sale

I love the Olympics!

And the Olympics remind me that sometimes we learn more about people by how they win and sometimes we learn more about people by how they lose!

If you saw the U.S. men's swimming relay team win the gold medal last night then you know what I'm talking about. After the French men's team talked smack all week about how they were going to "smash" the U.S. it was a pretty tough blow for the French to lose. But there the French were, standing on the medal stand receiving their silver medals and congratulating the U.S. team.

The same holds true for jazzing up your sales. Every proposal you submit won't be accepted. Every prospect is not going to buy from you. How you "lose" the sale can be more telling to your prospective client that you might realize. Here are some ways one might act when losing a sale:

• Get ticked off, act dejected and tell the customer they are making a big mistake.
• Resort to begging... "Please, just give us a chance to work with you."
• Bash the competition... "Did you hear what XYZ company did to so-in-so? They are lousy and can't be trusted."
• Badger the prospect after they say no by sending repeated emails or dropping by unannounced.
• Tell the prospect you appreciate being given the opportunity to work for him and you hope he will feel comfortable contacting you any time. Use the sales loss as an opportunity to start a relationship so that your prospect respects you and your company for future business.

Which one of the above options do you think will win you the gold medal?