All Sales Are Complex

by Steve Chriest

More than a few leasing salespeople and their managers think of the leasing sale as transactional. I want to suggest that the leasing sale, at all levels, is a complex sale. As is true in any complex selling situation, it's what and who you don't know that usually spells disaster for your selling efforts.

The complex sale characteristics of vendor sales are easy to see. Selling to vendors usually involves more than one buying influencer on the vendor side. Not only must the senior managers in a vendor organization approve doing business with you, but the vendor's salespeople and support staff must also stand behind doing business with you and your company. Reluctance on the part of any of these influencers and players can spell big trouble for your sale. In addition, the decision-making process, especially for large vendor accounts, can be involved and can take a good deal of time.

What about a leasing sale to an individual lessee who runs a small business? You're dealing directly with the decision-maker. He or she can make a quick decision and does not need to consult with anyone regarding the decision, right? This sale is simple and transactional, right? Wrong!

What most salespeople and managers miss about these transactional sales is the fact that in many cases, in fact in almost all cases, unseen decision influencers lurk in the background. A sole proprietor who operates a one-man machine shop, for example, may have a spouse who works in the business, but behind the scenes, exerting strong influence over capital expenditures. That same entrepreneur may belong to local trade group that offers free advice on financing alternatives for its members. This small business owner may have a CPA, and perhaps an attorney with whom he consults on all major business decisions.

So, what appears to be a simple, transactional sale is actually a complex sale that may involve multiple decision influencers. The fact that the machine shop owner may also engage outside experts to evaluate financing options also adds to the complexity of the decision-making process. It is best to find out if he will discuss it with his bookkeeper or his certified public accountant, or even his son-in-law, who is an attorney.

Don't be fooled into thinking any sale is as simple as it appears. If you don't know everything there is to know about your customer's buying decision process, or you haven't identified, or aren't aware of all the key decision influencers, both seen and unseen, you may lose your sale without ever knowing why.

Copyright © 2006 Selling Up TM . All Rights Reserved.

About the author: Steve Chriest is the founder of Selling Up TM (www.selling-up.com), a sales consulting firm specializing in sales improvement for organizations of all types and sizes in a variety of industries. He is also the author of Selling Up , The Proven System for Reaching and Selling Senior Executives. You can reach Steve at schriest@selling-up.com .