In start up sales? Learn from Rick Santorum.
Don’t worry, this won’t be a political post.
Presidential campaigns are driven by two things. The economy or “other”. If the economy is in good shape then we become more concerned about social and environmental issues. If the economy is in poor shape then nothing else matters. You could make a fair argument that if Lehman Brothers had collapsed six months earlier Hillary Clinton would be in the White House today.
So surely, given the length and depth of our economic woes, one of the few things you could be certain of is that the Republican primaries would be all about the economy. It was why Romney, along with a massive war chest, was considered as close to a sure thing for the nomination as there was. It’s also why Rick Santorum barely registered as a blip many months into the campaign. The economy was not Rick’s strength or passion. As has become apparent - social issues are.
When Rick Santorum made controversial social statements there were two responses - a) Those are some interesting ideas and b) This is political suicide because the electorate does not care about social issues right now! Well rather than disappear Rick Santorum has become really the only other candidate challenging Mitt Romney.
Lesson for any sales person? Rick Santorum has successfully changed the landscape of the debate. The political dialogue is more and more around social issues and less and less on the economy. Lessons for a startup sales person in particular? He managed to do it against the established incumbent and presumed winner based on the size of the war chest and experience.
You all know that feeling. You’re going against a better funded, larger, more experienced competitor. How do you know the prospect has already met with your much larger competitor? They’ve set the landscape. “Well we’re looking for a proven technology, customer references from people who’ve been in production for at least a year or two and a provider we know is going to be around for the long run.” At that point you can play by the rules that your competitor put in place - and be pretty sure you’re going to lose. Or you can turn the landscape on its head.
Remember, for a startup “winning” can happen even if you lose a deal. Rick Santorum may never win the Presidency. However, it’s fair to say he’s much closer to a VP or Cabinet seat than he was just 3 months ago. I’m not saying the answer is to make controversial statements about your offering or your competitor. Whatever you think of Rick Santorum’s politics it’s obvious that he really believes what he says - he’s credible and passionate. If you do the same you’ll stay in the race a lot longer. You may not win this one but you’ll learn enough to win the next one. Or the one after that. Whatever you think of his politics it’s hard to deny he’s moved the center of the debate to an area where he’s far more competitive.
