Status 2 (salesmanship)

This is my second post on Keith Johnstone's idea of 'status'.

Let's think further about the difference between 'rank' (where you fit in a formal power structure) and 'status' (your relative importance in a social setting).  This post is about what happens in face-to-face selling situations.

Usually rank and status are in synch: the more powerful person is also more important.  Sometimes this is formally imposed and history is filled with examples of social structures wherein the King is consistently treated as the smartest, strongest, bravest, funniest and best looking person in the room irrespective of the truth.  As illustrated by the story The Emperor's New Clothes the problem of 'speaking truth to power' is an out and out status issue.

Let's move on to selling and consider the problem that the following statement creates for a consultant: -

The seller will always outrank the buyer but the person with 'knowledge' has higher status

If I am selling to you then you outrank me; you don't have to buy what I'm offering* so I should always appear thankful should ever you hire me.  However, the only motivation that you'd ever have for so doing is that in some way I'm 'more knowledgeable' than you; I bring a skill, an insight or a process that you don't have in-house.

Every consultant is familiar with this balancing act: how do I establish myself as a worthwhile expert without making the client feel stupid?  If I underplay my 'knowledge' to make the client feel comfortable I run the risk of looking like I bring nothing new to the table.  Conversely, if I overplay my hand and come across as a know-it-all I'm turning off the client in a different yet equally fatal manner.

Isn't salesmanship fun?  Let's apply this idea to three selling scenarios: -

Repeat Business

The client knows what I do and wants more of the same.  Because I don't have to sell my 'knowledge' I don't have to adopt a high status position at all.  I can remain lower in status and simply thank the client for any additional work.

3rd-Party Referral Business (Word-of-Mouth)

The reason that 3rd-party referral is an easy sell is that someone that the client trusts has established my 'knowledge' credentials for me.  I can go into the pitch meeting and treat the client as someone who outranks me; I talk modestly about previous successes (not being too high status) but concentrate on giving the impression that I'd be honored to get the work.

Cold Calling

Cold calling is far harder because I'm forced to start with a high status position so that its clear that I'm not wasting anyone's time.  Then I have to drop that status to indicate that I'd be grateful for any project that might come of the meeting.  In a successful cold call you can feel the point at which the conversation pivots away from what you're offering and towards what will or won't be happening next.

This is why cold calling is never easy and I am convinced that it's the reason why repeat and word-of-mouth is the mainstay of most consulting businesses.

* There are some obvious exceptions to this statement that actually prove the point I'm making.  I'll deal with them later.