Episode #397: Joe Biden Couldn’t Sell His Message And What About You?

Watching Joe Biden destroy himself during the debate with Donald Trump was painful. He was appealing to the American voting public, that is to say, around 68% of voters based on the 2020 numbers, a then record turnout. This type of debate is similar to closing the sale in business. We have to outline why what we are doing is good for the client and why they should choose us over the alternatives. Polling, surveys, focus groups etc., provide politicians with insight into the needs of the voters and they construct their close on that basis.

We do the same, except that we do research on the firm, the industry sector, the individuals we are meeting to build up a picture of who we are dealing with. By the way, in today’s world, they are doing the same to us. Are you satisfied with what they will find out about you? I digress. We then ask a series of questions to better illuminate what the buyer needs. Once we have zoomed in on what they require and have internally confirmed we have what they need, then we explain our proposition and go in for the close to get their agreement to make us their preferred solution provider.

Joe Biden couldn’t close the sale because of the way he communicated his message. His low energy didn’t convey conviction or confidence. In sales, we have to be careful to not come across as a pushy salesperson, hell bent on getting the required revenues to make our monthly targets. We have to have conviction, energy, confidence without it being pushed too hard. Japanese buyers do not react well to being pushed.
One reason is that they are rarely the sole decision maker and harassing them to buy is pointless. The decision will go through many people before it is resolved one way or another. What we can do though is to communicate the details of how the solution will work well inside their company and the benefits they will get which they are not enjoying today. There is a line between enthusiasm and pushy and we have to tread on the correct side of that line. Sales is the transfer of enthusiasm is an old saw and it is true. We need to convey the belief that what we are offering will be the best thing for this buyer.

If we can fire up our interlocutor, they will be primed to sell our ideas inside the company and bring on board the other sections who will be impacted by this buying decision. We will probably never meet these people, so our champion has to be our communication mouthpiece to spread the good word about what we are proposing.

One way to fire up our champion is to provide them with a lot of data, proof, statistics, testimonials, etc. Japanese buyers are, I would say, the most risk averse group on the planet, so we have to come packing evidence if we expect them to go to bat for us.
I think Biden should have destroyed Trump in that debate, because he is the incumbent and has the numbers to support the policies he has introduced. When I see video of other politicians like California Governor Gavin Newsom or Senator Bernie Sanders in action, they are machines on the numbers and that is what Biden should have done as well. In our case, when we are talking to buyers, we have to come with numbers too. “Claims are easy, but where is the proof” is what the buyer is thinking and we have to provide that answer.

Storytelling should be seated on top of the numbers. Buyers have trouble recalling stats, but we are all pretty good on recalling stories. Being able to assemble the numbers and then weave them into a convincing story is one the key skills in sales. That story should feature where the solution has created value for another client, very similar to this one. Being able to explain how the other client converted the solution we provided into tangible benefits is what the buyer wants to know in Japan, because no one wants to the be the guinea pig. They like to see others take the risk of the new and then they can safely follow in behind and get the value, without the fear of it turning out to be a dud.

Biden blew the close and as salespeople, we have to make sure we are not replicating that meltdown. We need to understand how to communicate value in a way which is easily accessible to the Japanese buyer. My own failures as a salesperson can usually be traced back to poor ability to muster a compelling and convincing argument as to why they should stop just using their current suppliers and start using me as well, or preferably instead.

We see a Biden failure replay, but do we reflect well enough on ourselves and our own communication abilities in sales? It is always a good practice to go back to the basics, back to the drawing board and rework what we say and how we say it for the buyers. Just doing the same old, same old, is what got Biden into trouble. He needed to rise to the occasion, but he couldn’t. What about us? Let’s make sure we are fully prepped and capable of delivering a powerful, convincing message to convert buyers into lifetime clients.