(2) Start Early: George Burns said, "I had to work hard for 20 years in vaudeville before I became an overnight success in radio." That's a lesson in stepping up. Stepping up sales results with my leadership tool doesn't just happen overnight. You must prepare to get those step-ups starting in early stages of sales process: when prospecting for new clients, identifying decision makers, and making initial calls.

In this early stage, ask yourself: "What is close in this sale? And how can that close lead to customer not simply buying my product but also becoming product's cause leader, both inside and outside his/her organization?" For instance, sales people of materials company I mentioned aimed to replace their competitors' materials with their materials in computer housing applications. With that focus, they would have gotten closes — but not step-ups. The differences between their competitors materials and their materials were negligible in cost and performance.

The sales people continued to develop traditional channels to their customers' purchasing departments. But they also began building step-ups early by including design engineers in their first-stage sales activities. They focused on being their customers' "design partners" — not simply showing them where they could save costs and achieve performance advantages but also showing them how they could get market share through innovative uses of those materials.

Getting in early as their customers' design partners, they not only got closes but step-ups from those closes by integrating their materials into new generations of housings.

(3) Link to "Must-Have" Results: Step-ups happen only when you answer vital needs of your customers — not nice-to-have needs. Discover those needs by asking and answering: "What are your customers absolute must-have results?"

Those "must-haves" are your great step-up opportunities, because when you are delivering on must-haves, your customers are more likely to become your cause leaders.

In above example, sales people were able to get step-ups because they focused on their customer's "must-haves", productivity and cycle-time.

Here's another example dealing with another busines sector: I consulted with an insurance company whose growth had flattened out. We found out a key reason why. Their products were not meeting must-have results of their customers. The must-have results of their customers were that they absolutely had to grow their businesses. Yet company's products did not materially address growth needs of their customers.

Only when sales people convinced their own company to develop and sell products that met growth needs of their customers were they able to turn those customers into cause leaders. Once those new products were offered to customers, they far outsold old products.

Don't sell yourself short by focusing exclusively on close. Liberate step-up opportunities that are embedded in most closes by using this powerful leadership tool of challenging people to lead not simply do. By getting customer cause leaders, starting early, and linking to must-have results, you can multiply sales far beyond what closes achieve.

============================= 2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Setting my satchel down I slowly placed carpet sweeper on carpet and began sweeping over crumbs. I passed over crumbs time and again but to my horror sweeper was only picking up a small amount of crumbs. I continued to sweep over crumbs but crumbs were still there on carpet. "Uh, I'm sorry...uh, but, uh, this thing doesn't seem to be working very well," I stammered as I continued sweeping, now a little more furiously.

Her demeanor didn't change, "Okay. I buy."

Instead of being thrilled I suddenly felt awful. I couldn't sell this woman something that didn't work. "You don't really want to buy this, do you? See, it really doesn't even work very well."

"Okay. I buy."

I swept furiously some more but then stopped. "In good conscience I don't think I can sell it to you. Look at all those crumbs still on floor."

"Okay. I buy." Before I knew what was happening woman grabbed carpet sweeper out of my hand and took it with her to a table on other side of room. Setting it down, she rifled through her purse sitting upon table. Quickly, she came up with incredible introductory price and, leaving sweeper by table, she brought money over to where I was standing, "I buy."

With my jaw dropped and a look of perplexed stupidity on my face, I took her money. I didn't know what to say.

She apparently sensed my confusion and commenced to explain, "Five minute ago I am on floor on knees cleaning up mess. I think to myself, 'Boy I wish I had carpet sweeper like on TV.' The next second doorbell ring and I open door. You stand there with carpet sweeper in hand. How can I not buy?!"

With my jaw still dropped she walked me back to front door, saying, "Thank you. Come again." With front door closed behind me, I stood there for a few minutes trying to figure out what just happened. I was still too young and ignorant way back then to fully appreciate beauty of moment.

That was last house I went to. I went straight to my car and drove to my boss's house and turned in my satchel, quitting job. I didn't make much money at that job. I was quite failure. It would take me some time to realize, however, that everything I needed to learn from that job I learned in that one house call to Korean woman.