Business Thoughts, Rants and Observations

B2B 15 chaos theory, models and sales

Note from Bruce:

I was recently asked by an interesting B2B company to write some blog posts and new business direct mail thoughts. They were interesting because <a> they wanted to focus on a smarter, more intelligent, level of thinking in their communication <b> they truly had an ‘edge’ to them in terms of attitude, and <c> they were interested in taking on specific objections they hear day in and day out in a candid fashion. It was fun for me and I generated maybe 20 draft thoughts for them in less than 3 days. The following shares my favorites <in rough draft form and the name of the company removed>.

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Let us tell you what happens when you sit down with a business sales force and ask them about their sales process and results.

You will see lots of process charts, maybe a beautifully designed methodology, most likely some type of pipeline report <which is impossible to decipher> and a total success rate <which is always good yet internally there are always lots of questions about it>.

And then you ask “the question.”

“… wow … good stuff … you must have good consistent sales month to month … what does that look like?

Oops.

Chaos.

Even with all the process and methodology and ongoing training, when asked if there is consistent meeting & sales flow on a monthly basis, chaos erupts.

In fact the discussion can often edge into a slightly absurd point of view that sales engineering is slightly like trying to get your hands around chaos.

This is what most people see when they view sales organizations. Despite the rigor that goes into sale training and sales development it can often quite easily look like organized chaos. In fact far too often sale people even encourage the thought it can be a lot like chaos <let’s call that ‘job security’> and therefore it is difficult to manage or even predict results.

I mean, c’mon, how can you predict something in a chaotic environment?

Let’s be clear.

Sales is not chaos theory nor chaos management. Therefore sales can be predicted and be consistent with the right model, the right methodology and the right people managing the model and methodology.

Defining an effective engineering model

Sales engineering CAN look chaotic from a 10,000 foot view.

And when we encounter chaos, we seek ways to structure it, to see through it, or at least to gain an overview of it. Models help us to reduce the complexity of a situation by enabling us to suppress most of it and concentrate on what is important WHEN it is important. Now, critics like to point out that models do not reflect reality. That is true, but it is wrong to claim that they compel us to think in a prescribed way.

Models should not define what or how we should think. We believe, and our actions with the Company X Model reflect, that they should be a reflection of an active thought process.

Interestingly, Americans tend towards a trial-and-error approach – they do something, fail, learn from this, acquire theories and try again. This is more about improving.

Europeans tend to begin by acquiring theories, then doing something. If they then fail, they analyze, improve and repeat the attempt.

Luckily, a well tested model can accommodate both the American & European view. An effective model explains how everything is connected, how we should act and what we should and should not do. We often believe so strongly in models that they take on the status of reality. And that is a good thing if the model does reflect reality. The danger in a model is that sometimes they can actually prevent us from seeing things for what they really are. In fact we believe it is this danger that most sales people sense and therefore avoid models when possible.

Suffice it to say, an effective model should have a solid construct with the ability to morph according to new data and new stimulus <or decision maker cues>.

There is something called The Morphological Box which explains why you have to be structured in order to have the ability to effectively morph.

In the 1930s, the Swiss physicist Fritz Zwicky at the Institute of Technology in California developed a problem-solving method using what he called morphological boxes, in which a new entity is developed by combining the attributes of a variety of existing entities. This method, which was initially applied by Zwicky to jet engine technology, and now is often used in marketing strategies, innovation strategy and the development of new ideas.

The Company X Model effectively morphs within the model. We created an effective model like this because while innovative ideas can mean doing something completely new more often than not it means making a new combination of things that already exist.

Which leads us to “the people.”

Two thoughts.

1. Models are only as good as the person who uses it.

2. Sales people, in particular, balk at consistent use of models.

Combine those two thoughts and you can imagine how chaos occurs even if you have the best model.

Sales people, even the best of the best, feel models are restrictive and do not permit the flexible ‘hunting when the iron is hot’ <opportunistic pursuit of sales>.

Let’s remind everyone that possibly the most dangerous words in sales engineering are ‘this time it’s different’ <Sir John Templeton>.

Effective sales engineering is actually built on isolating ‘this time is the same’ and taking advantage of those opportunities. And while this may appear to be ‘adapting’ it is not. It is simply having a solid system in place to be able to track stimulus so that responses are triggered.

A sales person cannot manage an effective model because they, well, want to sell.

A sales engineer can manage an effective model because they, well, want to engineer a sale.

A model is only as good as the people who use it.

Company X thrives on creating sales affect. We have the model. We have the people. We have the success to show it works.

<results chart>

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January 19, 2016 by Bruce

Written by Bruce

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B2B 15 chaos theory, models and sales

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