There is a new Nissan Commercial featuring Tim Tebow and Kyler Murray called “Heisman House Anticipation” where Kyler Murray seemingly anticipates everything that is going to happen ahead of time and is speaking to, or answering before it actually happens. In the opening, Tim Tebow asks Kyler Murray if he’s looking forward to the upcoming football season and Murray answers that he’s been “working on his anticipation”. Tebow agrees that having anticipation as a skill is important and says, “Anticipation is key.” From that moment on, Murray is always one step ahead knowing exactly what is going to happen next.
It’s very cleverly done and makes a strong impression as part of a memorable campaign Nissan has been running for years around all the former Heisman Trophy winners living together in a mythical “Heisman House.”
As I was watching the commercial, it reminded me of the type of Sales professional I’ve seen and have had in too many Sales training programs recently. The type of Sales Professional that always has the answer and cuts off the customer before they ever speak or share their needs. That’s not anticipation, it’s rudeness.
Recently, I’ve been writing, designing, and developing a portfolio of Strategic Business Selling™ content for Sales Professionals selling in the virtual environment and have done some work and research on the topic of “Anticipation in Virtual Selling.”
The rules here are very different and if harnessed well can provide enhanced odds of winning new business.
What is Anticipated Selling?
Anticipated selling is a skill that is easily developed which helps you mentally and physically prepare for the eventualities of positioning a value-based solution to a potential customer. In this process, you as a Sales Professional are going through the process of anticipating potential needs, anticipating potential solutions, and anticipating the reaction of prospects to that potential solution.
For example, in the virtual session I held last week, the company I was working with sells specialty materials to manufacturers who are Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). As we were doing our initial assessment business simulations, it became clear there was a complete lack of anticipation and the participants of the learning were completely missing opportunities because they were prepared to anticipate the needs of their customers.
In terms of how to do it, you can keep it as simple as a piece of paper with bullet points or as complex as a portfolio of open windows and applications on your desktop.
Why anticipate in the virtual selling process?
Because getting a virtual meeting is really difficult and if you do get one, then you have an obligation of make the most of it. In a virtual selling environment time is compressed and your customer is moving from one virtual meeting to the next. Your job is to guide the conversation by anticipating needs, probing, discovering, and anticipating how the prospect will react to your approach.
The speed of anticipation and tools in a virtual environment
Everything is moving quicker in the virtual sales environment. You have less time, but more tools. You have the ability to share ideas, demonstrations, case studies, and other tools at the touch of a button and that is completely different than traditional sales meetings. Your anticipation of what may be needed in a virtual sales environment could mean the difference between a big win or a big loss.
In summary, anticipation is an important skill in virtual selling. Because everything is moving so quickly, it is imperative that you anticipate as much as you can and are prepared to guide the dialogue to a place where you can position the value as a great solution.