Exploring the Sales Process Through Creative Metaphors for Success
Sales Metaphors
Dating
I like metaphors, and anyone who knows me or does sales coaching with me can attest to my creative uses of them. So here’s one I use for the sales process:
Sales is like dating. First conversation is the first date. Both parties want to learn about the other so they can decide if they want a second date.
Second date is for both parties to consider going the distance with this partner. Can they envision a long term relationship here? Is this a good fit for me and my property?
Three dates is hopefully where the commitment happens. Agreeing on an exclusive relationship and looking at what both parties can do to please the other and create a lasting harmony.
Leading the conversation by asking questions and being genuinely curious about the other person and their wants and needs is a great way to stay engaged and out of auto pilot.
“What’s an ideal partnership look like to you?”
“Is the income the most important factor, or is it the quality of the care for the home that matters most?”
Be mindful of how much you are sharing so you leave enough space for the other person to share as well. Propose next steps, assume they want another date and start offering what I like to call “the 2 yeses”.
Ask, “Would you prefer to do a walkthrough of your property this week or next?” Then narrow it down til you get your time set.
“Next week, great. Earlier in the week or later?” “Later, what works better Thursday or Friday?”
Then offer options for the exact time and pin that down. This works great for getting a commitment without making someone feel pressured. Avoid yes or no questions, otherwise half the time you’ll get a no answer.
Acknowledge what a great conversation it was and offer 2 times that work for you until you settle on a time for the next “date”.
So you see it’s important to be assertive to keep things moving swiftly so you don’t wind up friend zoned. Because your lead/date is most likely talking to other suitors that are assertive and if you are not, you’ll be missing out.
You’ll want to always have next steps proposed and confirmed.
“This has been great, let’s meet again in one week and review the agreement together. Since you’ll be back in Texas let’s make it a zoom call. I’m sure you’ll have questions so let’s pick a time to discuss.” Confirm the time via text the day before to be sure they can still make it.
Waiting for them to get back to you how most opportunities get missed. Time kills all deals, and the same could be said for some romances as well.
Forgive me for getting in so deep with this metaphor but it just works! And perhaps this article will actually improve your dating life who knows! And if it does, please reach out to me on LinkedIn because I’d love to hear all about it ;)
Football
Another sales metaphor that works is Football (not soccer) sorry Fifa fans!
Follow me on this next metaphor. Keep in mind you and the lead/owner are on the same team.
The football plays are written out in curving lines, circles and x’es.
There's three high-level variables when it comes to football: players (people), coaches (leaders), and scheme (strategy and tactics).
So, if things aren't going the right way, you can question each of these layers.
Players = do we have the right people on our biz dev team?
Coaches = are we giving our team the right leadership to have success?
Scheme = most similar to your points here - are we executing the right strategy and then using the right techniques to have success?
When I review a sales pipeline I notice that most deals are still sitting in the beginning stages.
A typical sales pipeline looks like this: New Lead > Responsive Lead > Appointment Booked > No Show > Negotiating > On Hold > Long Term Nurture > Send Contract > Closed Won
When most deals are sitting in “New Leads” it means someone inquired, but they have not spoken with someone about services yet. The ball is in play! You're holding it.
Once a conversation has happened you're now in the “Responsive Lead” stage. Ball has been thrown from the quarterback to the receiver and caught. If you call the lead and don’t reach them….that’s a miss and you’ll have to try again til the lead/owner catches it.
The lead or property owner wants to sign up for services but there are a bunch of reasons that can stand in their way and distractions that can tackle them to the ground.
That means you've got to keep throwing them the ball and hopefully you get some steady progress towards the enzone.
If you want to find your edge, think of ways you can stay in control of the ball until the last minute when you need to pass it. You as a more nimble quarterback will have better luck running the ball down the field towards the inceptor and dodging the distractions. Shorten the gap for the throw to them by scheduling a follow up appointment. Aim for a "short down and distance". It’s easier to convert a 3rd and 1 than a 3rd and 25.
If you have something they want such as an income projection or scheduled time to go over the owner agreement together they will be more likely to stick to the appointment and not fumble the ball.
Most sales people give up on a lead after a few call attempts. Statistically you have to call someone 8 - 10 times to connect. Keep throwing that ball to them, and if you are persistent and the timing is on your side you’ll connect.
So tighten up your game playa! You got this!
Fishing
Sales is a lot like fishing and is probably the oldest example of a sales metaphor.
I know this angle/song is played out but I’m still going to have a stab at it.
Your net is the sales funnel, the base and beginning of your efforts to capture your fish.
What kind of net do you have? One you made yourself or one made by a professional company? I recommend the one made by a company for the type of fishing you are doing. One built to last with lots of support for needed repairs (Such as the Vintory CRM)
The next step is to cast your net. If you do it yourself, you may have difficulty throwing it wide enough or accurately enough. Not because you suck at fishing, but because one person is limited on what they can do.
Identifying where to throw the net is key, you want to make sure there is a concentration of the type of fish you want and not just throwing it on all the fish and then wasting time having to throw a bunch back. Fish finding technologies are always worth the investment. At Vintory we have a vigorous data collection and append process to help with this part.
Once the pocket of fish is identified and you deploy the net you wait and then pull in your take.
Situations vary. Sometimes the fish are slippery and wiggle out of the net before you pull them all up. Or the pocket of fish shifts and you only capture a small amount. One of the reasons there will always be fish in the sea and why fishing is a continuous endeavor.
When you bring up and sort through your catch you may still find some fish that are unsuitable. Too small, not the right species, bad attitude etc ;) Just throw them back and tend to the fish that are a good catch.
Of course it also helps to be realistic about the kind of fish you want to catch according to the kind of bait you have. For example, if you want to attract luxury homeowners but you have little or no luxury homes under management you probably don’t have the right bait….
Be sure to process the fish before they rot. Too often I see perfectly good leads in form submissions sitting in someone’s pipeline and they don’t get a call for several days. Fish and leads stink after 3 days!
Work your sales process diligently and before you know it that fish will be sustaining the health of your business.
I guess that’s where this metaphor kinda falls apart but I think you see some helpful points.
Use different techniques and maybe bait in the form of special offers. Fishing is a sport for the patient.
Think of Vintory as your Sport Fishing Charter. We make it a lot easier to catch the fish you want.
Updated: Oct 2, 2023 5:16 PM