to get out of their comfort zones and assume a position of strength--to be more persistent, to negotiate for access to the real buyer and to be more persuasive. Unfortunately, they're coasting, using headlines in the Wall Street Journal as justification for a lack of activity and productivity.

• #8. They don't know who their competition is. More often than you would believe salespeople plod along in a sales campaign without knowing whom they are competing against. It could be an incumbent, no decision, an internal corporate department (such as IT) or

In my business, it has been an interesting and very busy two quarters. I've worked with sales managers, marketing executives, professional services practice managers, business development executives, divisional presidents, two dozen sales teams, nine VPs of Sales and directly with 29 CEOs in North America and in Europe. I've seen a lot of deals won and more than a few lost.

When I first meet my clients, I find that some really do not know why they have won or lost business, although often they think they do. Their answers to just a few of my questions provides me with a pretty good idea of where to dig in more deeply. (Note: For me to perform a comprehensive diagnosis and provide appropriate recommendations for improvement, a formal win/loss analysis is required.)

In order to help you diagnose why you may have lost one or more deals, I am sharing with you in Letterman-style reverse order, the top ten reasons that salespeople (generally those employed by my clients' competitors) got outsold during the first part of 2003:

• #10. They are depending on capabilities of their product or service to win. This is a prevalent cause of losing. Deals have been lost this way for years and will continue to be lost in the future, unless salespeople begin to understand the critical trap they are stepping into if they assume this strategy. I don't know of too many companies these days that truly have a unique enough product or service that they can depend on that offering to win. And even if they do have that truly unique product, it doesn't take a desperate competitor very long to convey to their market that they have greater capability and a lower price. Once that happens, you're in a capabilities "beauty contest" and your product or service is destined to be considered just a commodity. Winners differentiate their product or service in ways that convey value to executives while protecting that value proposition from attack--and they don't count on their demo or presentation to be the ultimate death knell to their competition.

• #9. They're afraid. Unfortunately a lot of salespeople have been using the down economy and resultant changes in customer buying patterns as an excuse for not selling. They are afraid to get out of their comfort zones and assume a position of strength--to be more persistent, to negotiate for access to the real buyer and to be more persuasive. Unfortunately, they're coasting, using headlines in the Wall Street Journal as justification for a lack of activity and productivity.

• #8. They don't know who their competition is. More often than you would believe salespeople plod along in a sales campaign without knowing whom they are competing against. It could be an incumbent, no decision, an internal corporate department (such as IT) or

rovides me with a pretty good idea of where to dig in more deeply. (Note: For me to perform a comprehensive diagnosis and provide appropriate recommendations for improvement, a formal win/loss analysis is required.)

In order to help you diagnose why you may have lost one or more deals, I am sharing with you in Letterman-style reverse order, the top ten reasons that salespeople (generally those employed by my clients' competitors) got outsold during the first part of 2003:

• #10. They are depending on capabilities of their product or service to win. This is a prevalent cause of losing. Deals have been lost this way for years and will continue to be lost in the future, unless salespeople begin to understand the critical trap they are stepping into if they assume this strategy. I don't know of too many companies these days that truly have a unique enough product or service that they can depend on that offering to win. And even if they do have that truly unique product, it doesn't take a desperate competitor very long to convey to their market that they have greater capability and a lower price. Once that happens, you're in a capabilities "beauty contest" and your product or service is destined to be considered just a commodity. Winners differentiate their product or service in ways that convey value to executives while protecting that value proposition from attack--and they don't count on their demo or presentation to be the ultimate death knell to their competition.

• #9. They're afraid. Unfortunately a lot of salespeople have been using the down economy and resultant changes in customer buying patterns as an excuse for not selling. They are afraid to get out of their comfort zones and assume a position of strength--to be more persistent, to negotiate for access to the real buyer and to be more persuasive. Unfortunately, they're coasting, using headlines in the Wall Street Journal as justification for a lack of activity and productivity.

• #8. They don't know who their competition is. More often than you would believe salespeople plod along in a sales campaign without knowing whom they are competing against. It could be an incumbent, no decision, an internal corporate department (such as IT) or

This is a prevalent cause of losing. Deals have been lost this way for years and will continue to be lost in the future, unless salespeople begin to understand the critical trap they are stepping into if they assume this strategy. I don't know of too many companies these days that truly have a unique enough product or service that they can depend on that offering to win. And even if they do have that truly unique product, it doesn't take a desperate competitor very long to convey to their market that they have greater capability and a lower price. Once that happens, you're in a capabilities "beauty contest" and your product or service is destined to be considered just a commodity. Winners differentiate their product or service in ways that convey value to executives while protecting that value proposition from attack--and they don't count on their demo or presentation to be the ultimate death knell to their competition.

• #9. They're afraid. Unfortunately a lot of salespeople have been using the down economy and resultant changes in customer buying patterns as an excuse for not selling. They are afraid to get out of their comfort zones and assume a position of strength--to be more persistent, to negotiate for access to the real buyer and to be more persuasive. Unfortunately, they're coasting, using headlines in the Wall Street Journal as justification for a lack of activity and productivity.

• #8. They don't know who their competition is. More often than you would believe salespeople plod along in a sales campaign without knowing whom they are competing against. It could be an incumbent, no decision, an internal corporate department (such as IT) or

t happens, you're in a capabilities "beauty contest" and your product or service is destined to be considered just a commodity. Winners differentiate their product or service in ways that convey value to executives while protecting that value proposition from attack--and they don't count on their demo or presentation to be the ultimate death knell to their competition.

• #9. They're afraid. Unfortunately a lot of salespeople have been using the down economy and resultant changes in customer buying patterns as an excuse for not selling. They are afraid to get out of their comfort zones and assume a position of strength--to be more persistent, to negotiate for access to the real buyer and to be more persuasive. Unfortunately, they're coasting, using headlines in the Wall Street Journal as justification for a lack of activity and productivity.

• #8. They don't know who their competition is. More often than you would believe salespeople plod along in a sales campaign without knowing whom they are competing against. It could be an incumbent, no decision, an internal corporate department (such as IT) or

to get out of their comfort zones and assume a position of strength--to be more persistent, to negotiate for access to the real buyer and to be more persuasive. Unfortunately, they're coasting, using headlines in the Wall Street Journal as justification for a lack of activity and productivity.

• #8. They don't know who their competition is. More often than you would believe salespeople plod along in a sales campaign without knowing whom they are competing against. It could be an incumbent, no decision, an internal corporate department (such as IT) or pressure to fund another initiative or project within their prospect's company. Other times, sales people who get outsold simply don't know anything about that person who is in contention for the same piece of business--not their name, how they sell, to whom they sell, whether they are new at the job or highly experienced or what that person is likely to do to win the business. That's selling blind.

• #7. They're not flexible enough to meet customer/client budget and risk requirements. Companies are holding back on capital expenditures, cutting expenses, slowing down or delaying initiatives (and always looking for ways to raise the top line). Their holding back means fewer and smaller sales for us. I'm not suggesting discounting as a primary strategy here. What I have observed again and again is that vendors who are willing to adapt-- and I mean really adapt--their typical terms and conditions of sale to their customers' requirements (for example payment schedules and phase-in approaches) are much more likely to win business. Software companies are renting software. Consulting firms are agreeing to shared risk contracts with performance bonds. Is your company ready, willing and able to adapt?

• #6. They depended on '80s or '90s sales strategies, tactics and skills to win. Attending a two- or three-day class and learning about selling skills that worked five or ten years ago just isn't going to do it for you today. Think about it: All your competitors have taken the same classes, from pretty much the same instructors. I see the same training programs listed on scores of resumes that come across my desk. Where's the competitive advantage for those reps?

The big name training companies have done a terrific job over the years growing their own businesses, but many of them differentiate themselves through complexity of approach and related account planning tools. That's one of the reasons so few sales people use the very process they've been trained in. They are just too difficult and time consuming to use. I know. I get called in to pick up the pieces and get the sales teams back on track. And no matter what those training vendors represent, they can't possibly be flexible enough to keep you inform