Selling Strategies That Work

It's

2006.

Time

to

Win.

How to Win a Bake-Off

By Dave Stein, Author of How Winners Sell

Recently the term "bake-off" is being used more and more. What's a bake-off?  The first bake-off contest, started in 1949 and run buy Pillsbury, had contestants bake a pie and a panel of judges would taste-test them and declare a winner.  Now things have gotten a bit more complicated.  Pillsbury made it sound like fun, "Once the 100 best recipes are selected, only then are the contestants notified. For the 100 finalists, this means a trip to the competition finals and the chance to vie for prizes and national recognition. "  Fun it is... if you don't have to earn a living that way.

I'm certain you see the relevance.  As buyers continue to attempt to squeeze us into their procurement rules, we are often required to do that dog-and-pony show.

So, the big question is, how do you win one of these darned things?

The answer, of course, isn't simple, or easy.  Let's start with the answer I like the best:  You avoid doing them.

Are you kidding? you say.  You're in a heated competitive battle with little differentiation between your product and the next person's.  Or you are selling services and whatever you'll be presenting is seen by the buyer as a commodity. The prospect is requiring you to come in and demonstrate your product, present your company and service, or even run your product in a conference room pilot or trial.  If you don't have substantial product/service superiority, and you don't have an influential person in the account selling on your behalf, you are, at best, at a severe disadvantage.

What do you do?  You have only three choices.  You can participate and follow the rules. You can participate and change the rules, or you can refuse to participate.  Let's see what happens with each choice: …read more in the 1400+ world article.

(c) 2005 -- The Stein Advantage, Inc.

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