The Hidden Benefits of a Consistent Process

This month we wrote about the four non-negotiables for any meeting—time check, tech check, framed introductions, and agenda. Each of them has a specific purpose on its own and, used together consistently, they help build trust between you and your prospect.

Last week we began our blog series highlighting each of the 2024 inductees to the Maestro Hall of Fame. You had the pleasure of meeting Seth Peters, and something he said got me thinking even more about the non-negotiables. “Having that consistency, specifically with the non-negotiables,” he said, “helps me build a tighter process in every other part of the sales motion.” He went on to say, “Because I’m running my plays the exact same way every time, every call . . . when that little behavior change happens, I’m like, ding, ding, ding! Something’s not right here.”

We talk a lot about how a consistent process and the non-negotiables are seen from the prospect’s point of view, but what about what they do for you, the sales professional?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

As Seth mentioned, when you run the same process every time, it makes it easier to identify when something has changed. Especially as you continue to work with a prospect, you get to know what to expect from them in terms of reactions, engagement, and energy level. Once you have established this baseline, it makes it a lot easier to notice when something shifts.

Seth lamented that he wished he knew the importance of running a consistent process in all of his sales roles. “Early on, I probably missed the biggest red flags and warning signs that I would have caught had I been able to run a more consistent process versus being loosey-goosey and lenient.” Seth can understand that after four or five calls, it’s tempting to adopt a more laissez-fair attitude, but this is also when behavior changes are most important to register.

Seth challenges his team to stick to the non-negotiables, as well. When someone tells him that they aren’t using a deck, he says, “How many of my calls have you seen where I don’t make it past slide two?” He goes on to explain that it’s not like he’s “trying to live in the PowerPoint,” but he knows the importance of preparation, consistency, and perception.

LET’S DO AN EXPERIMENT

Following a consistent process not only helps you notice differences, it also lets you experiment with some differences of your own. Ideally, when you’re conducting an experiment,  you only have one uncontrolled variable. In other words, if you want to measure the impact of something, all other factors need to be held constant.

Maestro Group founder Will Fuentes explains how following a consistent process and the non-negotiables allows him to tweak things. “Let’s say I start the meeting the same way every time, and my prospect is always very talkative and outgoing, but things aren’t moving quickly enough. So, what I’m going to do is, I’m going to do the exact same thing, but now I’m going to ask for something earlier in our process. I’m going to do that and see how they react. If they’re super talkative, then this is great. Things are moving. If they shut down, then I know this change has caused them to see me differently, and our relationship is not yet in a place where I can ask for things.”

When Will works with account executives, he often has them answer two questions at the end of the week. “What did I do well over the past week?” and “What were my weaknesses this past week?” It becomes much easier to answer those questions when you’re following a consistent process. After all, the whole point of asking these two questions is to identify what can be repeated and what can be avoided. When you’re approaching sales with a “more laissez-fair attitude,” it’s far more difficult to parse exactly which action should be repeated or avoided.

I’M GOOD ENOUGH, I’M SMART ENOUGH, AND DOGGONE IT, PEOPLE LIKE ME

Whether it’s saying an affirmation, bouncing your tennis ball a specific number of times before you serve, or scrawling a Hebrew word in the sand before every at bat despite being an Irish American from Nebraska, rituals work. Am I saying that you can attract luck and fame through ritualistic behavior? No. Am I saying you can be more successful? Yes.

Research published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes suggests that performing rituals decreases anxiety and improves performance. Doing the same thing before every performance, every presentation, or every game helps get us into the right mindset. Consistency makes us less stressed. The non-negotiables serve as a sort of ritual for every meeting you lead.

For Will, this holds true personally.  “The ritual of it allows me to get into a mindset of low anxiety because I’ve done this before. I know what I’m doing. And now I can clearly think about what needs to happen.”

He shared a story with me about working with a client to close a seven-figure deal. There was a massive video call with a lot of people from the client’s team and the prospect’s team, when suddenly the internet went down. Phone calls were made. People were scrambling. The prospect relayed that they would stick around for 10 minutes, but after that, they were going to let people leave. Will and his team were able to restart the Zoom right at the 10-minute mark.

How did Will start the meeting? “I appreciate everyone staying on for 10 minutes. We’re scheduled for the next 20 minutes. Does anyone have a hard stop before then?” He was at ease, which put the prospect at ease. What could have been a frantic beginning became business as usual which became closing a seven-figure deal.

I have to admit that I’m the last person who is going to look at myself in the mirror and recite positive affirmations like, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible.’” In fact, when I hear that Audrey Hepburn quip, I don’t want to repeat it. I want to shake her and say, ‘No, Audrey, you’re wrong! And you clearly do not understand how apostrophes work.’”

But the non-negotiables? That’s something I can get behind. As someone who tends to run on the anxious side of the spectrum, they make every meeting easier to ease into by providing a clear set of tasks as your starting point. And that’s just one of their many benefits.

Want to get more serious about your sales process? Reach out to us at mastery@maestrogroup.co.