Selling to Zebras
How to Close 90% of the Business you Pursue Faster, More Easily, and More Profitably
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
BBB Library: Sales and Marketing
ISBN: 9781929774579
Editorial Review
Salespeople are like lions hunting for their prey; experienced lions do not waste their time and energy over many scattered opportunities. Rather, they focus on the prey that is worth their energy, such as zebras. Therefore, “zebras” are a metaphor for the “right” prospects because they are “unique” in the sense that you are most likely to close a sale with them, that you know for sure your product or service that satisfies their needs, and that you would spend time with their decision makers.
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Wisdom to Share
Check your processes, refine your tools, and change the culture of your organization into the Zebra culture.
The job is not done when the deal is closed though; any wise salesman should follow through with after deal support, services & adjustment.
Get three names of top executives from the assistant. Send targeted messages to the executives if you can’t get to them on phone.
If it’s impossible to reach Power directly, call the CEO assistants. Treat them just as you would treat the CEO & you’ll get what you want.
Middle managers might not know how to sell your product to decision makers, which would only lengthen your sales cycle.
Finance people look at the purchase from a different angle, and the link between operations and finance is rarely strong.
Most often sales people manage to convince prospects on the operational level, but run into troubles convincing them on the financial level.
Understanding funding, budget issues, and financial approval at a prospect company is a key component of understanding your zebra.
Be honest with how you compare with competitors. Analyze your service capabilities against customer expectations.
If you review the organizational structure of a company, you can realize how it deals with technology.
You have to know which customer technology create a competitive advantage and which create competitive challenge.
If you want to find your zebras, think about your existing customer base in terms of which of them you’d use as references.
“Zebras” are a metaphor for the “right” prospects because they are “unique” in the sense that you are most likely to close a sale with them.
Salespeople are like lions hunting for their prey; experienced lions do not waste their time and energy over many scattered opportunities.
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