No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Call for Managerial Ownership

No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Call for Managerial Ownership

Could you ask a manager to man up? To commit to the solution? To take a little risk? I know it’s a dangerous game to ask someone to step up, but sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed.

Over the past  days, I worked on an opportunity where the manager was under significant pressure. Sales were lagging, and some of his team weren’t pulling their weight. He knew a sales program was needed, but as our conversation unfolded, I sensed his self-confidence starting to falter. Instead of taking decisive action, he sought support from his subordinates and even wanted to rope the CEO into the decision.

At first, I thought the opportunity was lost—not because of the pain or our inability to deliver, but because he couldn’t bring himself to put the hammer on the nail and say, “Let’s do it.

So, I called him up and sent a couple of emails: I demanded more from him. I told him, “I need you to step up and take ownership of this opportunity.”

It was silent for a few days, worried I might have jeopardized our relationship with my unusual demand. To my surprise, when we reconnected on our scheduled sales call, instead of a brief thank you,the deal is of

 he had gained strength. He expressed his commitment to step up and put demands on his team. When I asked if we still needed to involve the CEO, he confidently replied, “No, this is my division—I do as I please.” That was the breakthrough.

We closed the deal, and I’ll never forget his final words: “Let’s do this. Let’s get the action going. On e we demonstrate that this approach works, more will follow.”

In sales, I’ve always aimed to be the agreeable person—listening, asking questions, and sharing my best solution. But sometimes, the people we’re talking to aren’t taking their roles seriously enough. What they need, beyond our competence and training, is to take ownership, to put the hammer on the nail, and to drive things forward. With this experience under my belt, I’ve decided to stop being “Mr. Nice Guy” and start placing healthy demands on my counterparts.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if you did the same? Let’s jointly help people with the products and solutions we sell by ensuring they truly take ownership of solving their problems.

Here are some questions to ask yourself with the next opportunity:

• Is the person I’m talking to willing to commit to solving their own problem? If not, who else could take that commitment?

• How committed are you to really solving the customer’s problem? Is this just another sale, or are you ready to get your hands dirty?

• How effectively can you communicate the need for personal involvement and commitment in your selling dialogue? Would this endanger the deal, or would it actually strengthen it?

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P.S.

Remember the MEDDICC framework—Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion, and Competition. It’s a powerful tool for identifying the problems that need to be solved, the value of solving them, and the stakeholders who must be committed to change. Get to know MEDDICC by taking one of our courses, booking a call with me, or reading my new book MEDDICC Sell More Faster. Good luck with your selling.

/ Jens Edgren