The New Power Base Selling: Master The Politics, Create Unexpected Value and Higher Margins, and Outsmart the Competition

Leveraging Creating Demand to Penetrate Accounts

Figure 10.2 introduces a process that is as logical as it is stealthy. Its unconventional nature will translate to counterintuitiveness for many of your competitors, giving you the cover of darkness. Only during the later stages of the process will some competitors begin to see what you are doing; still, many will dismiss it, because they don’t understand it. These are the sellers who blame a fluke situation that will not repeat itself when they lose.

Figure 10.2: Account Penetration Process

It’s usually not a problem if your competitor is at Stage I or II. However, a Stage III Compete Seller may detect what you’re up to around Step 5. And, if you find yourself up against a Stage IV Customer Advisor, he or she might have a clue at Step 4 or possibly earlier. Having said that, our data show that 80 percent of all sellers are at Stages I and II; therefore, most of them will not understand what you are doing even after you have done it. To protect yourself against the more advanced Stage III and IV sellers, you must move quickly and quietly through the process. Remember that time is not on your side. The steps to follow in the entry penetration process are shown in Figure 10.2 and explained further in the following section.