The Law of Navigation

Do me a favor and think back to a coach, counselor, mentor, or teacher that had a lasting impact on your personal development. What was it about them and their advice on life that really resonated with you? For me, it was a hockey coach that I felt could quite literally see through the persona I put out to the world as a teenager to what was really going on beneath the surface. When we talked about my real goals in life, I felt like I was the most important person in the world. What that coach knew, I now know, was how to guide me through the decision-making steps so that I could come to a conclusion on my own rather than trying to make the decision for me.

John C. Maxwell talks about this idea as the Law of Navigation which emphasizes the need for effective leadership in guiding an organization to its goals. While Maxwell discusses it in terms of internal organizational leadership, a salesperson can apply the idea of guiding an organization to its goals in several ways to enhance their ability to close a deal with prospective buyers. Let’s dive into a few ways to accomplish this.

Present Solutions Aligned with Goals:

Highlight specific features in your product or service that can help the customer achieve their specific goals. To get to this point, you must be extremely confident in your earlier stages on discovery. Once you’re sure of that, use real-life examples or case studies that demonstrate successful outcomes for similar organizations. I’ve found that this, more than any other anecdote, helps build credibility and reinforces the idea that your solution can guide them to success.

As I’m getting to the later stages of the sales process, a tried-and-true question I like to turn to that helps me dive deeper into the details of their goals is, “can you share more about your top priorities and goals for the upcoming year? I’d like to understand better how we can tailor our solution to directly contribute to achieving those objectives.”

Create a Customized Plan:

Work with the customer to create a personalized plan that outlines the steps you’ll take to address their needs and achieve their goals. Success in this initiative depends completely on your willingness to collaborate and take input from the customer. Done correctly, the prospective buyer will understand your relationship as a mutually beneficial one, rather than a zero-sum gain. In the end, this demonstrates your commitment to their success and provides a clear roadmap, aligning with the concept of charting a course.

If your company allows it, I find that proposing some type of trial period can assist in breaking down barriers of hesitation. However, a trial period must come with success criteria, so propose it accordingly, “based on our discussion about your goals, what specific milestones or outcomes would you like to see achieved in the short term? This will help us create a customized plan that aligns with your organization’s objectives.”

Address Potential Challenges:

Acknowledge potential challenges or obstacles that the customer might face in reaching their goals. There’s no need to engage in fearmongering to get the prospect to buy but encourage them to be realistic about their imminent hurdles. Furthermore, studies have shown that salespeople who tend to focus on the negative aspects of a prospect’s current state or a competitor’s solution are looked at more negatively as well. Therefore, show how your product or service includes strategies to overcome the challenges they help to uncover, providing reassurance and positioning yourself as a valuable partner in navigating uncertainties.

If they’re taking the meeting, there’s a high likelihood that they already know, or at least suspect, that they have a problem that needs solving. An easy way to uncover this is, “in your experience, what are some of the common challenges your team has encountered in similar projects? Understanding these challenges will allow us to incorporate strategies into our plan to mitigate any potential roadblocks.”

Highlight Long-term Benefits:

Emphasize the long-term benefits of your offering. Leveling expectations here is imperative, in my opinion. Often times, new buyers expect the benefits of your solution to hit their organization immediately – don’t allow them to take on this perspective. Discuss how your product or service isn’t just a one-time solution but a continuous guide that will support the customer in achieving sustained success over time.

If, and when, the prospect does turn their attention to short-term benefits, I’ll try to take the question and turn it back around on them, “beyond immediate gains, how do you envision our solution contributing to your organization’s long-term success? Understanding your long-term objectives will help us tailor our support to ensure sustained benefits.”

In more ways than one, the Law of Navigation builds on the principles we continually discuss in our learnings here – honesty, problem solving, and creating win-wins. Said a bit more eloquently, the Law of Navigation teaches us that we don’t have to sell prospects on our solution but lead them to our solution. Taking on the role of the leader in your sales process will also earn you a level of respect from your customers and will initiate a meaningful conversation with your customers. Human behavior is all about cause-and-effect relationships, and this respect will allow you as a salesperson to gather information, tailor your approach, and build a compelling case for how your product or service can guide the customer’s organization to its goals.