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By Chan Kim Beng, Founder, Road To Success Training & Consultancy
The game of chess is a two-player board game that takes to task the players’ mental endurance to strategize for a win. I took up chess actively at the age of 12 and went on to win trophies at the school, state and varsity levels. Little did I know that years later when I worked in the sales arena in a global corporate MNC, that I would be to apply lessons from the game to as part of my sales strategies :
1. Plan Well Ahead
One has to plan well ahead in the game. There are three stages of the game to be played namely the Opening, the Middlegame and the Endgame. For one to sustain the game advantage and to win, potentially all these stages need to be well-planned out. I always planned my moves some 10-15 moves ahead, sometimes to even visualise how the endgame would be like to my advantage. Similarly in a sales cycle, a sales rep would need to plan on how to approach the customer, to present his product or services and how to close. Be able to anticipate your customer’s objections and questions. This will better prepare you and added confidence for your conversation with your customer.
2. End-in-Mind
A chess player could decide during the course of the game to go for the win at any of these stages. However, he would need to have a clear end-in-mind as to the outcome he desires and how he is able to manouver his pieces accordingly. A sacrificial of pieces to gain a quick win may end up with disastrous outcome if the moves are not well planned out. A sales person would also need to have a clear outcome or objective from his customer engagement and work towards it. Do not rush into pitching the sale and this will put off your customer.
3. Develop Your Game Plan
In the event that the game lasts longer, the player will need to continue to develop his game further by placing his pieces in the right places to position for the winning advantage. A sale is usually not closed at the first interaction, so chill out and keep in touch with your customer. Build a good first impression then follow-up and continue to follow-up. Eventually, you will gain the trust from your customer.
4. Be Flexible and Plan Your Resources Well
Each piece on the chess board plays a crucial role to my winning plan, therefore I needed to carefully place them on the right squares where they would be best poised for the win. For example, a Bishop is best played in an open position instead of a crammed position. Therefore a player would tend to exchange more pieces to free up the board. On the contrary, a Knight relishes moving around on a crowded board. Customers will also have their own demands and requirements. Sometimes they could be busy, sometimes they are not available to talk. So be flexible to accommodate them. Remember to keep the outcome of the engagement clear in mind so that you steer to the right direction to close the sale.
5. Body Language Matters!
During play, the players should observe each other body language closely. A seasoned player will use the body language tactic to his advantage. For example, how a player removes his opponent’s pieces from the board or how he touches his chin or how he positions his sitting posture are tell-tale signs of how confident a player is. This in turn may psychologically influence lesser experienced opponents into making unforced errors. I have, on countless occasions, tilted evenly balanced games to work in my favour by applying this psychological warfare! Remember that your customer is always observing your approach and your style. Do show the customer that you are fully prepared to provide your service with confidence.
6. Aim for a Win
Some chess player would insist to win the game no matter what. I have played many opponents who simply refused to draw even though the play was at a clear stalemate. They still persisted to explore every other possible move to eke out a win. Look out for the win-win or the most crucial pain point of your customer. You would be surprised at how easy you could remove customer’s objections and for you to close the sale.
7. Be Patient but Stay Sharp
A chess player needs to have mental resilience to sit at the table patiently but always on alert to spot his opponent’s weak link in pieces positioning or an unforced error made. In your sales interaction, patience is crucial as customer may require some time to make the buying decision. But you also need to be sharp to the spot out customer’s buying signals. This can come in the form of the body language used, the choice of words and level of interest expressed by the customer.
8. Practice and Practice!
Yes, lots of practice! I recall sparing with my chess mates to prepare for tournaments. I read chess books by grandmasters and even played online opponents. This not only improves my sharpness while playing but also mentally prepares me for the wins. So continue to practise and sharpen your sales and soft skills. Read up on sales strategies books by famous sales gurus. Have a huddle with your teammates to brainstorm strategies to win the sale. Have a mentor to guide you if possible.
If you have yet to take up chess, maybe now is the time. The lessons learnt from this game are invaluable for myself to this very day. I wish you all the best on your sales interactions and be on the journey towards success. Feel free to drop me an enquiry note directly at kimbeng@roadtosuccesstrain.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chan Kim Beng is a Corporate Training Consultant & Founder at Road To Success Training & Consultancy. He specializes in sharpening the soft skills and selling skills of the sales and customer service workforce and improving their customer engagements.
* The views expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Business Insider.
The post The 8 Sales Strategies I Learnt from Chess appeared first on Business Insider.