The Sales Professional Pyramid
Where are you and Why does it matter?
Why is it that we love meeting with some sales people and others we try to avoid? Some just never stop talking and fill the air with words while others ask thoughtful questions and bring new ideas to the table. I learned about the pyramid of salespeople early in my career and made a big effort to move to the top of the pyramid. I wanted to be at the top of the pyramid not only to earn more money, which I did, but to have my clients look forward to seeing me. In today’s business world, it is essential to add value to every call.
At the first level of the pyramid is the “Professional Visitor.” This is the largest of the four groups and is filled with veterans and rookies. The Professional Visitor will often make unscheduled visits or show up for a call without an agenda or purpose. Many veterans will say that have been selling for so long they don’t need an agenda or a plan, so they “wing it” and figure it out on the fly. For many of these folks, the only thing of value they bring to the meeting is a box of donuts or cookies. They have a social meeting and may only ask questions about a recent sporting event or about the client’s family.
Clients may like the Professional Visitor because they are friendly, and they bring the donuts. However, when things get busy (which is almost always), they don’t have time for the chit chat. The client will sometimes do a little business with this type of sales person only because they think he/she is a nice person.
As a sales manager, I remember one of my favorite salespersons, I’ll call him Charlie. Charlie would turn in expense reports for over $1,000 in cookies from a local baker. Yep, Charlie was turning into a classic Professional Visitor. We immediately had the “Sales Pyramid” discussion. Later he ended up turning into one of the best salespersons I ever worked with. He eventually became a sales VP and definitely reached the top level of the pyramid. I’m not saying that you should never bring donuts to a meeting, but more importantly bring business value.
The second largest group in the pyramid is the “Order Taker” or “Peddler.” Typically, a salesperson turns into an Order Taker because their manager is pushing them to get more business. I was taught back in my early sales days to always be closing and always ask for the order. With the sales manager pushing for more closes, these folks jump right into asking for the order, attempting to close the clients on buying their goods before they’ve even built a strong business case as to WHY it’s of value to the customer. They usually make a few more sales than the Professional Visitor, however, clients start to dread seeing the Order Taker because all they do is push for more sales. You can do better than this!
As a good salesperson matures and starts to view sales as an admirable vocation, he/she becomes proactive in learning new skills and becomes more of a consultant to their clients. This is when they reach the third level of the pyramid is called “Sales Consultant.” The sales consultant realizes there is a great need for learning selling skills. They start to read more books and take sales training classes. They may read classic sales books like Spin Selling and The New Solutions Selling. The importance of asking the right questions conversationally and the art of solving clients’ real problems is discovered. The salesperson at this level is now a professional and is welcomed by the client because he/she is a problem solver that brings value. Salespeople at this level typically have a lot of success and are highly compensated.
There is an even higher level for sales people to strive for. This is the level where your client looks to you as a partner in their business, not as a salesperson. Your client will come to you as if you are part of their staff and ask for advice. They will completely trust you and use you exclusively for your services. This level is earned by being trustworthy, honest, a problem solver, a good listener and by bringing new insights and ideas to every meeting. It includes leveraging strategies found in The Challenger Sale, or Insight Selling. This level holds the fewest number of sales people and is called “The Trusted Partner.” When you arrive at this level, you have eliminated your competition. However, be careful to stay in touch with what’s going on in the industry because if you stop adding value or bringing new ideas and insights, you may just open the door to your competition. It takes a lot of work to reach the top of the pyramid and stay there, but it is well worth the effort.
Keep climbing!
