How Many Of The Five Connection Sparks Do You & Your Prospect Share?

On the clickbait-crammed news site that is the largest currently in the English language, there can hardly be greater teabreak pull than copy by their resident “sexpert”, Tracey Cox.

A woman who’s first ever conversation with her husband-to-be featured her opener involving a strip club.

I can barely believe I fell for a latest such article.

Then would you know it, a good Sales primer emerged.

Detailing ‘connection points’ between candidates for a (the) relationship, were these three sentences;

Most psychologists agree there are five key areas that appear to make or break a relationship.

Chemistry (does it feel right?), compatibility (how much do you have in common?), common goals (how many do you share?), pace (are you moving at the same speed through life?) and timing (are you at the same stage in your lives?).

Couples who remain blissfully bonded for life tend to connect on all five. But those who match on three or four still enjoy very happy, satisfying relationships.

Whatever the scientific veracity of this quintet, I instantly saw something in them from our commercial selling perspective.

Particularly as another decent lens from which to manage our funnel, qualification and assess deal likelihood.

Think of those five in isolation; chemistry, compatibility, common goals, pace, timing.

Each readily applicable directly onto any sales opportunity you pursue.

I feel the demarcation between ‘compatibility’ and ‘common goals’ can be made firmer in our world. The former relating to values, the later, direction.

It really does feel like a winner.

Do you honestly want to be chasing an account where at least one of these boxes are not ticked?

To replicate the spirit of top-performing salespeople, imagine conducting such an analysis on (or before) that critical very first call. And halting any bid as a result.

You might be able to overcome an initial lack of ‘chemistry’ later on. But can you ever change the fact that ‘timing’ may be awry?

I even thought about switching up the last pair, so that you make an insghtful 5Cs.

Could ‘pace’ become ‘cadence’ or maybe ‘clip’? Then ‘timing’ be ‘clock’ or perhaps ‘course’?

So for any current potential business listing, how about trying for yourself my remixed B2B sales forecasting fivesome, and see how strong your prospect connection truly is;

chemistry, compatibility, common goals, cadence, clock.