Incumbency Penalty
I hear there's been an election. The most consequential in a lifetime, apparently. For which you may or may not have had a vote. In any case, you probably have a view. Whether you've spent the immediate aftermath lapping up meltdown liberal tears, fearing the rise of the fascists or trying to bring a level of stolidity if at all possible to either extreme.
One thing both sides could likely agree on, is a Sales angle.
Namely how you either stay as chosen provider or displace one.
This particular US Presidential poll was interesting in this among many a regard because it was in a sense status quo versus ante status quo.
Current incumbent against previous incumbent.
Policy promises aside, much analysis as the haze of outcome still cloaked opinion, from both sides, seems to suggest serious messaging misgivings of the ousted.
How can you position yourself as the 'change' choice, when you've been in situ for the present term, and then be unable to articulate what it is you will actually be a-changing?
This is a regular banner in solution sell world.
Our new exciting disrupting capability is about to come out. Why risk the other alternative, which is so bad it's at the very least a case of 'better the devil you know'. And perhaps the ultimate pounding-the-rock trumps the classic Einstein-exposed insanity hopeium; 'it'll be different this time'.
There comes a moment in time when any incumbent runs out of road. When you can no longer justify the line Continuity > Change.
It can emerge from a perceived drop in energy, eminence, effectiveness around those involved.
Give someone else a try. Let's shake things up. Make a fresh start.
Beyond ennui, there's also the realisation that complacency can/has (fatally) set in. A turnaround urgently required.
In ye old days, with fairly commoditised, entrenched Enterprise offerings, to break in an account you had to await disaster, cling on for major management upheaval or have a crazy discount proposition.
Not a trident you really ought base a sustainable best-practice sales process on.
When encountering the incumbent barrier back in the day, I'd often glean success from gaining a small incursion with a nice little project in a quasi-hidden spot. Growing from there.
Although in the 90s often derided as the tactic of a salesperson that wasn't actually selling, it was what years later Konrath would recommend as one proven way of Selling into Big Companies.
Objections faced ranged from the current supplier's release schedule claims, through internal capacity overload, to HQ supplier consolidation edicts.
I heard with interest one focus group runner state the incumbent penalty in stark terms. After getting utterly squashed by the 2008 GFC, a victim suggested they'd fire every incumbent by voting for the challenger each time, unless they consciously felt they were better off than last time 'round.
The researcher considered that such view was now widely exercised.
I noted the failed prediction of the now infamous 13 Lichtman Keys. Poor old Allan. He went macro when voters thoughts were micro; 'it's the pocketbook, stupid'. It wasn't that his vaunted keys were wrong. It feels more like he misinterpreted them. For instance he awarded his Economy one a thumbs-up to the incumbent. When in reality it appears irrefutable that despite the pie growing overall, astonishingly CNN produced a map [see footer] showing all but five counties of the 3,000-plus in the country experienced lower real-term wages today than four years back.
Lessons for our B2B aspirations seem clear.
If in-post, keep a firm grip on legacy and how it is being enabled. Become a valued and integral fabric of their operation. And remember that oftentimes it is the fixing of a problem that keeps you closest.
And if trying to crack open an occupied space, then tacitly understand why people switch in your domain. Then build on that theme to uncover, bring out and leverage that incumbent penalty.
The darker the shade of brown the more cost of living outpaced wage increases during past 4yrs. CNN said all but five counties nationwide experienced this to some degree.