Two things happened on the same day last week. First, I heard “If I Had a Hammer” by Lee Hayes and Pete Seeger on the radio. The lyrics stuck in my mind:
“If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning, I’d hammer in the evening, All over this land.”
Second, I had lunch with a guy who told me about a partnership that fell apart for him because the other party always had to be the smartest guy in the room.
Why these items are connected is the reason underlying this column. The person who had to be the smartest guy in the room defined everything in terms of the services they offered. If you are a prospect meeting with this person, and had several different goals to meet, the solution for each goal would always be the services this person offers. In other words, the whole world is a nail because this person possesses just a hammer.
For anyone trying to sell products or services let me suggest three ways to avoid this hammer-and-nail syndrome.
One, know your products and services. Two, know your client’s business. Three, listen.
Salespeople, if they are good at what they do, know their products inside and out. They understand not only how things work, but also the benefits of what they offer. Connections to outcomes are easy to make for good salespeople; they’ve been there before and they know how to get to the desired result.
Let’s say your product is a hammer: You know the materials that go into the product. You understand the durability issues, strength of the material, leverage factor, techniques in how to use the hammer effectively, and where to use the hammer. You also know where not to use the hammer: You wouldn’t, for example, use a hammer to tighten a screw or secure a pane of glass.
The next hurdle is to understand the customer’s business and how they use your product. Carpenters, for example, are the No. 1 customer for your hammer. What a carpenter does day-to-day definitely includes the use of a hammer. It also includes the use of saws, levels, planers, measuring tapes, and calculators. Add to that iPads or a laptop, architectural design software, knowing how to read engineering and architectural plans, project management software, and job costing software.
Yes, hammers are important for carpenters. But their world is much larger than just the nail. Good salespeople understand this and learn as much as they can about all aspects of the carpenter’s business. Think about it. A hammer salesperson calls on many carpenters. They learn about how all of these carpenters conduct their business. They gain insights into what works and what doesn’t work.
This breadth and depth of knowledge is powerful. The salesperson with this knowledge is able to think like the business owner, not like a salesperson. This is a foundation for a great relationship. The focus is on understanding the client’s wants, needs and emotions. This understanding of the person precedes any in-depth discussion of products or services.
This brings us to hurdle No. 3: listening. While a good hammer salesperson may understand a lot about running a carpenter business, they don’t necessarily understand the business of the carpenter in front of them. Don’t assume because you know what a lot of carpenters do you understand what this specific carpenter should do.
Listen to understand and empathize. Connect to the person and their emotional needs and anxieties. This connection on an empathetic level is much more important than a product solution. Clients want to know what you know about them. Clients want to know they are heard and understood. Ask questions and listen well.
Most of all clients want to trust you and what you say. This trust comes about through strong relationships, not knowledge. Forget about how good your hammer is in knocking in nails. Instead, focus on the person first. Knowledge is a valuable asset; don’t let it dominate the relationship.
Ken Cook is the co-founder of How to Who and co-author of How to WHO: Selling Personified, a book and program on building business through relationships.
