The Push Is Over (For Now). How'd It Feel?

Everybody who's ever sold against a quota can relate.

The end of the month, quarter, or year involves a mad dash to the finish line. Of course, projects need to be completed, and beans need to be counted. These guideposts are important. What gets out of hand is when the deal's timing becomes more important than the deal's value.

This piece is not about discounting.

Yes, we train our customers. They often wait until; the end of significant sales periods like this to sign deals because they know the rebates and price reductions are coming. Yes, they know that your calendar deadline means nothing once you've already devalued the solution. I and others have already written volumes about this. What is already understood doesn't need to be discussed.

This piece is about what the change in behavior at the end of a quarter does to you as a seller.

So really, how do you feel after that quarter-end push? Do you feel like you gave away a third of everything you worked for over the past several months? Do you feel a little gross about selling value throughout the sales cycle only to have a manager or even a VP suggest that you should "do whatever it takes to get a deal done today?"

That is literally the used car salesman tactic that people hate the most. There's no integrity in that. That's got to eat away at you a little bit.

Here's the thing. It's not fair.

It's not fair to your company. I get that someone with authority inside your employer is authorizing this decision, but leaving hard-earned profit on the table for something so arbitrary as the date on a calendar betrays all the hard work that gets done every day.

It's not fair to your customer. When they don't truly appreciate the value of the investment they're making, they're much less likely to extract all of the value out of that investment. People pay attention to what they pay for. ROI actually goes down along with the price.

It's not fair to you. It erodes your belief when you are asked to go against your integrity just to finalize a deal. It breaks the flywheel of integrity, belief, and execution that turns an average seller into a top performer.

You're working hard to be the best you can be. Why would you want to slow your momentum down for a week every three months?

You've got to have a tough conversation.

If you're a sales rep, you need to have this discussion with your manager.

"Why are we betraying the hard work that everybody is doing all month/quarter just to drop our prices in the last week? It's really not fair to anybody."

Wait for an answer. I'm not sure you'll get a good one. This is a point of leverage for you, and you should dig a little deeper and ask why "because that's how we do it around here" is an acceptable rationale.

If you're a frontline manager, you need to have the same discussion with your VP. The conversation isn't easy, but it's necessary. That's what leadership looks like. That's how change happens. That's how everybody wins in the end.

Years ago, my manager asked me right before Christmas if there was any way I could help the team get across the finish line for the year. I'd hit my number weeks before, but I told him I was due to meet with my biggest customer between the holidays, and I'd see what was possible.

I went to that meeting, and without even getting a chance to ask, my customer proactive placed a sizeable order for some things that weren't urgent. How's that for a sign you're doing right by somebody?

About an hour or so later, I got the call...

"Jeff, really nice order. Thanks. Is there any way we can hold that until after the new year? Some other orders came through, we're clear of the team quota, and it would be nice to start January."

"No. We have the inventory, and I want it to go. They ordered it because they wanted it, and I don't think it's fair to them for use to hold it back. To that end, I don't want to have this conversation anymore. It's not fair to our customers for us to be pulling orders ahead or holding them at the end of the month. If we have it, it goes. If we don't, we don't. Fair?"

To his credit, he agreed, and we never discussed it again. In some ways, I had earned the right to ask. I was a consistent top performer, and it was my best year ever. But I don't think that kind of performance is required to call out something so objectively true. Tough conversations lead to learning and rapport. Both will help you advance your career.

There will be times when you're faced with decisions that challenge your boundaries and integrity. That's life. How you respond in these situations determines how you grow and, ultimately, who you become.

Who do you want to become?