Sales Success Depends on Clear Distinctions

Clear distinctions are a hallmark of clear thinking. Unless you know what a thing IS and, importantly, what it IS NOT, you cannot begin to think clearly about it. And clear thinking is critical in complex sales.

On the surface, distinctions are pretty simple. We make them all the time. I am holding a coffee cup. It is a container with a handle made for holding hot drinks. It is not a wine glass, a soup bowl, or a dog. You know this instantly without having to be told.

We make a lot of distinctions without consciously thinking about them, but we have to learn to make them. If you’ve ever heard a toddler say “dog” when seeing a cow, or “spoon” when asking for a fork, you have witnessed a child learning distinctions in real time.

A dog IS a four-legged mammal that says “woof.” A dog IS NOT a cow, a turtle, or a coffee cup. A spoon IS a small scoop with a long handle made for eating wet things. A spoon IS NOT a fork, a knife, or a tree.

This ability to make clear and shared distinctions is critical to communicating and problem-solving. The same is true in complex sales, and the systems thinking DSRP model provides us with the tools we need to make effective distinctions that improve win rates.

Distinctions in DSRP

In the DSRP model of systems thinking, distinctions represent the “D” in “DSRP.” A tool to help make distinctions is the Distinction Identity/Other (DIO) list. Here's an intro video to it by Cabrera Lab:

In the previous example of a toddler learning about dogs, we can see that until the child knows what a dog is and also what a dog is not, the child does not yet understand “dog.” This distinction is critical to a shared understanding of the world. In adulthood, we learn is and is not distinctions at greater and greater levels of complexity. We learn what is and is not appropriate work behavior, what is and is not the right tool for specific tasks, and so on.

Taking the time to gain clarity on distinctions helps buyers avoid harmful assumptions and create better outcomes.

In systems thinking, distinctions and is/is not lists help us to gain clarity about problems so we can solve them more effectively. Consider in medicine, a person who appears in the doctor’s office with pain in their abdomen. The first thing the doctor needs to do is create a distinction. What is causing the stomach pain and what is not causing the stomach pain. If it is caused by a pulled muscle, and it is not caused by a tumor, then we know that rest and ice is the correct recommendation. If it’s the other way around, then we know we need a biopsy to get more clear about the is and is not (is benign, is not cancer, for instance). Only once the is and is not are defined can an effective solution be provided.

Distinctions in Complex Sales

Likewise, in complex sales, we cannot effectively help potential customers until we make distinctions about what is and is not the problem(s) and/or the desired outcome(s). We also need to make a lot of distinctions about our product, the characteristics of the buying organization, and the stakeholders who will be involved in the purchase.

Taking the time to gain this clarity can help us avoid harmful assumptions and create better outcomes. Here are some critical areas for companies and their teams to make distinctions in order to structure their thinking and help customers do the same.

Positioning

Positioning your product relies on clearly distinguishing what is and is not true about your product, about the market, and your competitors. What is different about your product, and what is not different? What is desired by your market and what is not desired? What is provided by your competitors and what is not? When you understand what is and is not in these matters, then you know who you can best help, who your best customers are, and how to position your product for the best outcomes.

Qualifying and Disqualifying

Salespeople often make the mistake of qualifying buyers without also trying to DISqualify them. This leads to many lost sales projects that never should have entered the pipeline.

Clear distinctions help solve this problem. For instance, perhaps you do well with customers of a certain size. Still, in one particular industry, there’s a competitor with a specialized product that usually outcompetes you for those customers. In this case, your qualified customer is: A certain size. Is not: That industry. By focusing on customers you have a high degree of success with helping, you become both more efficient and more effective.

What IS and IS NOT the Problem

Sellers often make a lot of assumptions about buyers’ problems. For instance, a buyer may approach a salesperson and say they need a CRM. The salesperson often automatically assumes that they will want to learn about all of the features and benefits provided by their product, and immediately starts trying to sell the buyer on these features.

This can lead to decision paralysis as the buyer attempts to sort through all the information without clarity about what will actually help them. It also erodes trust and leads to the stalemate we often see, where buyers don’t want to deal with salespeople and aren’t willing to share critical information.

With an understanding of systems thinking, the salesperson approaches the conversation more effectively. Instead of assuming that they already understand the problem, they can help the buyer clearly define what is and is not for their problems and desired outcomes.

For example: The prioritized problem is low win rates. The problem is not deal size. The problem is poor sales process execution. The problem IS NOT a lack of leads. And so on. When you have identified what the problem IS and IS NOT, from the stakeholders’ perspectives, you can focus on the aspects of the solution that will truly help.

Identifying Stakeholders

As our recent research paper revealed, there is a sweet spot for the number of stakeholders your salespeople need to reach. Too many stakeholders can lead to decision paralysis, while too few can result in a failure to reach essential consensus.

To reach your sweet spot, your teams must know both who is and is not a relevant stakeholder in your customers’ “decision-making system.” It pays to take time at the leadership level to create this distinction, and for salespeople to take the time with their contacts to identify those distinctions within the customer’s organization. Your data may reveal that a relevant stakeholder is someone who holds specific titles, and is not someone who has other titles. Is and is not distinctions at the stakeholder level may also include purchasing power, relevance to the specific problem, and location inside an organization’s leadership structure.

These are just a few ways distinctions can be valuable in sales and lead to better outcomes. Where else do you think we could make better distinctions in sales?