Forensic Ecologist Digs

"The more symptoms, the better the diagnosis."

As her Amazon profile states; 'Professor Patricia Wiltshire is a forensic ecologist, botanist, and palynologist [the study of plant pollen and spores], and also has a background in environmental archaeology. She has worked with every police force in the United Kingdom, and on many high-profile cases.'

Described as 'friendly, intellectual, steely at times, and confident in her opinions' [behind The Times' paywall] her dismissal of the squeamish is something to behold.

“If you can’t do the job, then get out of it and do something else. Go and sell lollipops. You’ve got to be strong, otherwise what’s the point? A policeman who can’t stand the sight of blood? I mean, c’mon.”

Put this together with her withering assessment of what's required and her character emerges. Such as her labelling of one fellow expert;

“Great scientist, terrible investigator. Not everybody can make the jump.”

Look around your sales unit. Any such lollipoppers and non-jumpers around?

One of her mantras is, 'every body leaves a trace'. Not for nothing do the police call her Pollen Pat. Dig deep for such traces.

A fascinating lady, her simple illustration is around a visit to the doctors.

Give a single symptom, and the advice is you've a cold. Build on that and you can get to flu. Add even further, and your ailment can reach pneumonia.

Wherever you can, seek one more clue.

The classic sales question that's our best friend here;

"what else?"

How many symptoms do you need to uncover with your prospect, gaining tacit acknowledgement of, for you to prevail?

Have you totted them up? For both deals won and not?

Experience tells me you've likely a sweet spot. A clutch beyond which you must go, to a number above which there's no real extra return.

How do you identify them? How do you get the prospect to see you can make them go away? How do you present them so as to ensure they accept that the legacy they seek comes solely, uniquely from your offering?

These are crucial questions that shape your optimum sales process.

Not to the debilitation of analysis paralysis. The progress killer of perma-deferred decision-making. But enough to rise above opposing approaches.

As a footnote, The Times article ends with her one piece of advice to investigators. It's not a leap to amend for our Sales world. Making an excellent framework in our field too;

“Be flexible. Some forensic scientists can’t be flexible because they have certain techniques and protocols and it all has to be ticked off. But every case is different. Every case is unique. That’s the beauty of it and the beauty of the natural world. Every place is unique.”