I had scheduled two events—two more than all of my coworkers combined. There is no way that I was especially good at the work; my success was due to my work ethic and my ability to suffer without complaint.
Not too many years later, when I was forced into an outside sales role, I was taught and trained to present my company by walking the client through a huge binder that was designed to answer both classic legacy questions: “why us” and “why our solution.” I literally read the binder to the poor, suffering souls who were too polite to throw me out of their office. One prospect was basically catatonic when I left her office. I really hope she had a good health plan.
When the $4 billion company I worked for decided to train me, they taught me to ask my prospective clients for a single order, the old “get the camel's nose under the tent” strategy. (It's cold in the desert at night, and when you allow a camel to put his nose under the tent, you end up with a not-so-cuddly animal sleeping next to you.) In a role play, however, I tried to convince the regional vice president to give me all of her orders. After the exercise, I was taken into another room and told that I would no longer be allowed to participate in the training. The regional vice president was concerned that I was “scaring the salespeople who were afraid to ask for an order.” My manager laughed at the situation, as we had fun taking over entire accounts, preferring to acquire clients instead of orders. It would take me nine full years of sales before I was able to help my clients adjust more than the name of their supplier. Eventually, though, I found my way to One-Up, and I haven't looked back.
Being One-Up is vital simply because there is no reason for a client to ever take advice from someone in the One-Down position, especially when it comes to making important decisions and pursuing better results. What value is a salesperson who knows less than the client they are trying to help? In Nancy Duarte's excellent book Resonate, she suggests that your client is Luke Skywalker while you are Yoda. Your client is the hero, albeit one who is rather clueless, presently inadequate for their mission, and a bit of a fixer upper. You, however, have greater experience and the ability to provide the help your clients need.
Personally, I prefer Obi-Wan Kenobi to Yoda; maybe it's the white beard. In either case, you have to provide insights that allow your client to succeed in their mission. The starting point for making a One-Up sale is demonstrating your expertise in the sales conversation with your prospective client, leading with the insights your contacts need. You need not worry about sharing your insights or providing risky “free consulting,” as it's far riskier to pursue a legacy approach. Besides, you are going to teach your client everything they know, but not everything you know.
How Your Client Knows You Are One-Down
There are a number of obstacles to becoming One-Up. The first obstacle is an unawareness of the plan necessary to execute the strategies and tactics that make up this approach. Without a complete approach to the One-Up strategy, it is more difficult to execute. Your client will recognize your One-Downness by your approach. When you open a conversation by sharing information about your company, for example, you have already demonstrated that you have nothing more valuable to share. When what you share creates no value for your client's future results, you are One-Down.
The desperate attempt to build rapport at the beginning of a conversation with your prospective client also broadcasts your One-Down desperation. The new rapport in sales is a business conversation. The more you need a deal, the more you present yourself as One-Down. If you are really desperate, you might be Two-Down, knowing even less than those who are One-Down. The nature of your conversations and your questions also provides evidence of your One-Downness. When you ask your client questions about the problems they are having, you prove you are an amateur. How could you not already know what kind of problems and challenges your client might be experiencing? And even beyond that, not starting with a theory about why, what, and how your prospect should change means you are One-Down.
Here is a simple test to determine if you are One-Down: Does the client benefit from the conversation more than you do?
There are other tells that prove you are in the One-Down position when compared to your contacts. The more you comply with a process that is being driven by your contacts or their company, the more certain it is that you are One-Down. When your prospective client sends you an RFP and you respond, you have shown that you are subservient, servile, compliant, and worst of all, One-Down.
By the way, the One-Up approach to an RFP would start with a call to the person who sent it so you can explain that there is no way you can answer their questions and still show them how companies like yours help clients with better results. Then, to ensure they understand they are One-Down, you ask them a question they can't answer: “Is there a reason you are trying to do this the way we stopped doing it four years ago?” Before they can answer, add, “How do you want us to document our approach?” Congratulations, you are now One-Up. Your contact is now concerned about what they don't know, and they now know someone who understands what they are missing. Worst-case scenario, you get invited to present.
Mistakes to Avoid
There are a few common mistakes when flexing your One-Upness, and we might as well get the biggest one out of the way before we move forward. The worst possible thing you can do when using the One-Up strategy is to come off as arrogant. You want to avoid being a know-it-all and instead be seen as someone who knows a lot in this specific area. You don't want your client to think that you believe you are somehow superior to them as a human being. The human beings you call on don't ever need to feel as if they are One-Down outside of the decision you are helping them make. If you are an Alpha, any hint of arrogance is going to be treated as a challenge by another Alpha. It is also going to be recognized by non-Alphas as desperation to be important. The best way to execute this strategy is to recognize that you are One-Up in the areas where you have more knowledge and experience than your client, while they are One-Up in a dozen or more areas where you are One-Down. It's humbling, I know.
Treat everyone as if they are smart but lacking some information that you can offer them to improve their decision-making and better future outcomes. One of the ways to soften your approach is to ask for permission to share ideas with your clients, ensuring that you don't poke the ego of someone who is used to being in a dominant position. You might also ask your contact to share their perspective with you, something that acknowledges their authority. Remember, you are equals.
The greatest risk to your success with this approach is to believe that you can learn nothing from your client to understand how best to serve them—and your future clients. A large factor that makes you One-Up is how much you have learned from your clients. Those who wish to teach should start by committing to learn. You must recognize when you need to be One-Up, as well as when you are—and need to be—One-Down. You better occupy the space of One-Up by descending to the One-Down position when someone else is One-Up and can help you see something that was unavailable to you. You are going to need to become an expert to maintain the One-Up position where you know more than your clients. Your client is in the One-Up position when they are sharing with you how things work in their company. In this case, your One-Down position allows you to take in new information that will be critically important to you later, when you find yourself One-Up again.
The Virtuous Circle of Increasing One-Upness
You are an expert in what you sell, and if you are not, I hope you are on your way to becoming one; it will change your results and your life. Your client is an expert in their industry and their role, meaning they are One-Up in those areas. By providing your client with the insights and information they are lacking as it pertains to the better results they need, you help them become One-Up—not over you, but over others who know less. The same is true for you. When your client helps you understand their business, their industry, their overall strategy, and a dozen other topics that close the gaps in your knowledge and experience, you are less One-Down and more One-Up, even
