Selling on Purpose

By Philip R. Moncrief

Sales is the most exciting, most rewarding career in industry. Sales is the key to business success. Nothing happens until a sale is made. Companies who execute well but do not sell, go out of business. The companies that have and value top Salesmen are usually the most successful.

Here are the four secrets to successful selling:

Dont sell, help your Clients buy.
Find out what they want.
Figure out how to give them what they want.
Find out what its worth to them and then quote your price.

You, the Salesman, have a responsibility to yourself and your company to think through your sales approach and plans and to do things on purpose. The best Salesmen dont just let things happen, they plan for their success and then work the plan. In fact the biggest difference between average and excellent Salesmen is that excellent Salesmen make things happen and they make happen the things that make them successful. If you get nothing else from this book, get the idea SELL ON PURPOSE.

In Selling on Purpose, Philip Moncrief has finally written the sales primer that has long been missing. From prospecting to closing, from relationship building to proposing, its all here. New salesmen will learn the essentials of the profession, experienced salesmen will learn the key ingredients to increased sales and sales career success.

This is a book on Sales in the Engineering Construction industry. Even so, the approach and the lessons apply equally well in most sales situations. The process and the details may need some adaptation, but the basics apply in all sales situations.

Comments from reviewers include:
Wow, I wish I had this book when I started out in sales.
There are a lot of great suggestions for salesmen like me in this book.
I learned a lot of new things and was reminded of others that will increase my win rate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 13, 2005
• ISBN: 9781462833405

Philip R. Moncrief

Philip Moncrief has worked in the global Engineering Construction industry for nearly 40 years. His experience includes Project Management of very large as well as small projects for world class engineering construction companies including Bechtel and Fluor. He has managed projects in Africa, the US and the Middle East. As a Project Manager and in senior executive positions, he has focused on what makes Projects and Project Managers successful. He is now President of Project Management International, a consulting firm focused on Project Management excellence.

Book preview

Selling on Purpose

Philip R. Moncrief

Copyright © 2004 by Philip R. Moncrief.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Xlibris Corporation

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Contents

Preface

Introduction

SECTION 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

SECTION 2

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

SECTION 3

Chapter 7

Account Strategy

Chapter 8

SECTION 4

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

SECTION 5

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

SECTION 6

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Appendix 1

PROJECTS and PROSPECTS

Refining Company A’s Contracting Strategy

Business Strategy

Current Projects and Known Prospects

Key Buying Factors

Competitive Situation

ACTION PLAN

Company History with Refining Company A

Wall Street Daily March 11

Appendix 2

Endnotes

Preface

I think that sales is the most exciting, riskiest, most rewarding career in any industry. Sales is the key to every business. Nothing happens until a sale is made. Companies who execute well but do not sell, go out of business. Companies that have good sales will have the opportunity to improve their execution. Some highly successful companies greatly value Salesmen and their contributions, some do not. Most often the companies that value Salesmen are the most successful.

I have never found a book on Sales in the Engineering Construction industry, so I wrote this one. This is a primer for potential new Salesmen but I’ve tried to make it comprehensive so that there should be topics that will interest the veteran Salesman, as well. It reflects my more than twenty years as an E&C Salesman and Sales Manager. As I have discussed Selling on Purpose with reviewers, I have repeatedly gotten the comments, wow, there are a lot of good points here, I wish I had the book when I started out and a lot of this is familiar but I learned some new things and got reminded of some other issues I need to be more aware of. High praise, indeed.

Now the credits and disclaimers. Many people helped me along the way and I’d like to thank the following people who helped me by reviewing this book. They are Paul Jahn, Jim Loughead, Dan Stites and my son-in-law, Brian Hassman; all Salesmen I have been fortunate enough to work with over the years. Anna Marie Cwieka not only offered her thoughts on every section of the book, but also encouraged me to include some information on a hard topic—how a Saleswoman has to adapt to the [still] male oriented world of the early 21st Century. I hope I captured her thoughts well. My daughter, Vicki Hassman, and Don Cruver helped with a review of the section on Contract Law.

I have received a lot of advice and encouragement as I have written this book. I want to thank my wife, Cheryl Moncrief, for her encouragement and patience and for painstakingly proofreading the text and correcting each spelling, grammatical, and formatting error she found. My daughter, Tracy Mounts, an author in her own right, advised me on the publishing process and gave me some valuable suggestions. I would like to give special thanks to Phil Tevis, a great Salesman, for his in-depth review of the book, and to Stew Heaton, a special friend who, in spite of everything going on in his life, took the time to read the entire book and make a large number of important suggestions to improve the content and the readability. Finally, Rod Cooper, a good friend who created the cover art and the interior graphics. To each of them, I say Thank You. You have made this a better book by your efforts. In spite of all their efforts, if errors have crept in, I take full responsibility—for the content and format of the book.

To those who see themselves in my examples, you may have been my subject, but the examples occur frequently enough in my experience that I have a number to draw upon. A few issues are repeated in chapter after chapter. This is not a mistake and I make no apologies for my repetition. These issues are important. If I were able to coach you individually, I’d bring these things up again and again. Since I cannot, my approach is to repeat the issues hoping this will help you grasp their importance.

I have no gender bias, but have resisted writing he/she, him/her or they. I think this makes a clumsy sentence and so I have generally picked he or him. Read she or her whenever you want. It is my real intent, anyway—ask Monica, Nora, Anna Marie or Beverly, all saleswomen who have done a great job and whom I was lucky enough to get to coach. I have used the terms Owner and Client somewhat interchangeably and I suppose I should have been more careful. I prefer the term Client over Customer since that was the way I was trained.

I learned sales from some of the best, although they are not well known outside their own industry. I was lucky enough to be a member of one of the finest sales teams ever assembled—at Fluor in the early 1980s. Dave Tappan, CEO of Fluor, and possibly the best Salesman in the engineering and construction business, set out the agenda and was a great sales role model. Hugh Coble ran sales during much of my time there and was an inspiring sales leader. Bill Gulley, Senior Vice President of Sales at Fluor in the late 1970s, gave me the one-on-one coaching I needed to make the leap into sales. Gordon Freeman managed me with the light touch needed to let a young Salesman run with the ball. I appreciate their inspiration and coaching. To them I owe nearly all my sales knowledge and success. This book is my humble attempt to pass on to the next generation of Salesmen all the suggestions and coaching I benefited from face to face.

Introduction

This book is about selling—Selling on Purpose. Although the context I’ve written from is the global process plant engineering-construction business, don’t be put off if you are in another industry. I think you’ll find the process, the approach and the lessons apply equally well in most sales situations. In fact, I have drawn a lot of inspiration from Salesmen I have observed in other industries. You may need to modify the process or the details to fit your circumstances exactly, but the basics should apply in nearly all sales situations.

There’s a great story about a man called the World’s Greatest Salesman. He was a guest on the Dick Cavett talk show. The dialog went something like this:

Dick:      I understand that you’re the world’s greatest Salesman.

World’s Greatest Salesman: Some say that.

Dick:      Well, sell me something.

World’s Greatest Salesman: What would you like to buy?

Dick:      (Picking up an ashtray—this was a long time ago) How about this ashtray?

World’s Greatest Salesman: What do you like about that ashtray?

Dick:      Well, it’s a nice crystal, heavy, well made, attractive.

World’s Greatest Salesman: What would you expect to pay for an ashtray like that?

Dick:      Oh, about $100.

World’s Greatest Salesman: Sold

There are several lessons in this vignette. First, the Salesman never tried to sell Dick anything. He helped him buy. Second, he asked Dick what features he wanted rather than telling him about the features the ashtray had. Third, he let Dick give the first price. If every situation were this simple, we would all learn the technique and be world’s greatest Salesmen. Nevertheless, don’t forget the lessons here:

     Help your Clients buy.

     Find out what they want.

     Figure out how to give them what they want.

     Find out what it’s worth to them before you quote a price.

I’ve been a Salesman and a Sales Manager for more than twenty years and find the same issues continue to come up. How to be productive, how to prospect, how to set up and make sales calls, how to qualify prospects, how to close and how to follow up. These are universal sales problems, occurring in many industries and many sales situations. In managing other Salesmen, I’ve created a large number of coaching sessions. Those coaching sessions are the genesis of this book. My Salesmen will recognize many of them. In this book I’ve expanded those sessions into a complete sales coaching program.

I call the program Selling on Purpose. I didn’t originate that phrase, I think it was originated by Larry Wilson, but I believe it and have promoted the idea with my sales forces. You, the Salesman, have a responsibility to yourself and your company to think through your sales approach and plans and to do things on purpose. The best Salesmen don’t just let things happen, they plan for their success and then work the plan. In fact, I think the biggest difference in my experience between average and excellent Salesmen is that excellent Salesmen make things happen and they make happen the things that make them successful. If you get nothing else from this book, get the idea—SELL ON PURPOSE.

The Engineering Construction sales process is straight forward, but I’m surprised by the number of people who don’t really seem to understand it. To get everyone off on the same foot, I have included a Sales Process flow diagram. I believe that most industry sales processes are similar to this one. It really applies strictly to the engineering-construction sales process, but you can easily see the differences compared with your own sales process. I have used this Sales Process chart to help organize the discussions in the chapters of this book. Refer back to it to see how the whole fits together.

Lastly, with all the serious stuff that follows, here’s a humorous look at what makes a Salesman that I read someplace:

Are you really a Salesman? Take a look at these top 10 signs and find out:

10.      You lecture the neighborhood kids selling lemonade on ways to improve their sales process.

9.      You get excited when it’s Saturday so you can wear sweats to work.

8.      You refer to the tomatoes grown in your garden as deliverables.

7.      You find you really need PowerPoint to explain what you do for a living.

6.      You normally eat out of vending machines and at the most expensive restaurant in town within the same week—possibly on the same day.

5.      You think that progressing an action plan and calendarizing a project are acceptable English phrases.

4.      You know the people at the airport hotels better than your next-door neighbors.

3.      You ask your friends to think out of the box when making Friday night plans.

2.      You think Einstein would have been more effective if he had put his ideas into a matrix.

1.      You think a half-day means leaving at five o’clock.

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SECTION 1

What Is Sales All About, Anyway?

Tappan’s Tips For Sales

When I was a young Salesman, I attended a worldwide sales meeting at Fluor. We gathered together virtually all of the Salesmen, sales management and key senior management for a week of discussion, training and fellowship. The keynote address was by Dave Tappan, CEO and one of the best E&C Salesmen ever. He gave us these tips for sales. I transcribed them and kept them in my briefcase for many years, referring to them over and over for insight into how to be a successful Salesman.

Don’t treat your Clients as a single individual. Our Clients are large, complex organizations comprised of many individuals, and no single individual is the controlling influence in a fluid marketing situation.

Check and then re-check your reading of Client attitudes—each day—because those attitudes, like the weather or the stock market, are subject to drastic change without notice.

Sell in depth, and that means selling yourself as well as your entire organization from top to bottom.

Try to anticipate organizational changes so as not to get caught short.

Treat the little guy as a V.I.P. He can hurt you, and he can also help you, and the true V.I.P. doesn’t need V.I.P. treatment from you.

Don’t ever believe the Client when he tells you that you’ve written the first perfect proposal. The perfect proposal doesn’t evoke silence—it brings forth a cascade of questions.

Build your personal credibility by keeping every single one of your verbal promises and commitments.

When a sale can’t meet your company’s criteria have the guts to walk away from it.

Never give up. If you’re really doing your job, a truly hopeless situation is a rarity.

Follow the contract through to completion. Little jobs often lead to big jobs, and big jobs can develop into whole new dimensions of opportunity.

Chapter 1

What Makes A Salesman?

Salesmen come in a lot of sizes and shapes. Most generalizations about Salesmen have too many exceptions. But there are behaviors that all excellent Salesmen exhibit. To be an excellent Salesman, you really must exhibit these behaviors.

Intelligence and Good Looks

I think we all have a picture of the good looking, highly intelligent Salesman (maybe he’s a fabrication of the Salesmen’s Association.) Most really successful Salesmen I know are not especially handsome and most are average intelligence. Intelligence and good looks are not the keys to success in sales (but I cannot deny that if everything else is equal, they can help a bit). The keys to success in sales are good communications skills, particularly listening, along with a lot of hard work focused on satisfying customers. Learn to organize your thoughts into clear succinct statements both to your Clients—to tell them what you are offering, and to your team mates—to tell them what the Client wants. Excellent oral and written skills are the hallmark of a successful salesman.

One experience I have never forgotten is meeting a particular Mercedes Benz Salesman. (I don’t know if this was a unique experience since it’s the only time I ever looked at Mercedes.) I had about 30 minutes to kill one day and thought I’d cross the street and take a quick look at what Mercedes Benz had to offer. I drove up to the dealership and started to go inside. The Salesman met me at the door and man, I was really on my guard. (I generally don’t like car Salesmen.) He had noticed the car I was driving and after introducing himself, asked me about it—what did I like about it, what did I not like about it and what did I wish it had. What a unique approach! In answering his questions, I found myself telling him quite a bit about my buying preferences long before he told me anything about Mercedes Benz. Once he had the answers to these questions, he described some of Mercedes’ offerings noting how each met my criteria. This was a really pleasant experience. He didn’t try to force me into a decision, just helped me understand what they had and how it fit my needs and wants. The next thing I knew, I was on a test drive. Although I didn’t buy a Mercedes, I have never forgotten the Salesman or his style. My guess is that he is a great success.

Sales Characteristics

Harvard Business school did a study to determine the characteristics of successful Salesmen. They found that top Salesmen had the following characteristics:

     They do not take no personally.

     They accept 100% responsibility for the results.

     Generally they are above average in ambition and desire to succeed.

     They have a high level of empathy.

     They exhibit a high level of determination.

     They are totally honest with themselves and their Clients.

     They have the ability to approach strangers.

On Your Own—Being A Self Starter and Setting Goals

I may be short selling other qualities, but the quality I value most in a Salesman is his ability to work on his own and his aggressiveness in doing it. Nearly all successful Salesmen are really aggressive self starters. They know what needs to be done, they figure out how to get it done and they start on it right away.

One of the best sales candidates I ever met, John, was smart, knew the services he was to sell, but never seemed to get a sale. One day I went into his office and started asking questions. Pretty soon I realized that John was so afraid of rejection, that he had a hard time calling people on the telephone to set up sales calls. Even after coaching, John just couldn’t face being rejected and we had to take him out of sales. He had everything going for him but he wasn’t a self-starter.

Salesmen face rejection every day, and it hurts—it often feels personal. Even after being in the sales business for over 20 years, I still think about new people I’m meeting—will they want to do business with me?

To get myself going, I make lists of things that need to be done and then do them, checking things off as they are accomplished. I separate out cold calls from follow up calls and make sure there are enough cold calls on my list. Having that list right in front of me gets me going. I cannot stand to have a list of activities in front of me and not take action on it.

Salesmen are often on their own. Traveling or just being in the office, they do not have the same busy work or routine meetings that other executives have. This gives them plenty of time to contact Clients, to spearhead proposals and to follow up and get the sale. But they must do it. No one else will call on their Clients, no one else will make sure the proposal they are submitting is as good as it can be and no one else will close the deal for them. They have to do it. What’s more, many times no one else really knows what the Salesman needs to be doing, except the Salesman. You not only have to be the