We like to look on the bright side, and focus on successes and positive elements in what we do. It is great to approach work with a positive attitude, and that outlook will rub off on everyone around you. However, we also have to be wary of what may be around the corner or lurking in the shadows that is going to get us. I used to work with a sales leader who constantly challenged his team to identify the “should have, could have, would have” elements of any deal they were working on. In other words, what could go wrong that you “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” avoided if you had just looked for it? Another sales leader referred to this as Productive Paranoia, and I love the term.
Productive paranoia means a range of things. Late in a sales cycle, if the buyer suddenly says they need to arrange “just a quick demo” for our execs before they sign. It could be a good thing that shows we are one step closer to winning, but productive paranoia also tells us something could be wrong. Most likely, some exec is objecting to the purchase or the price or wants to add to the requirements before they buy, or is pushing an alternative and wants to demonstrate that we are not the right choice - something has gone off the rails. When a customer is going through an implementation and they suddenly slow down or ask to pause, we could see this as normal, or even think this is great because it gives us more time to get other things done. But, productive paranoia alerts us that something is probably wrong and we need to figure it out fast. One last example, if we don’t hear from a customer for a stretch of time, it could mean everything is going fine and they are happy, but productive paranoia tells us we ought to initiate a conversation and assume something is amiss. Worst case in all of these scenarios, you over-prepare for a positive outcome. Best case, you saved the day by being paranoid.
Andy Grove, the founder of Intel, wrote a book titled “Only the Paranoid Survive”. His whole message was to always be on your guard. Always look several steps down the road and plan for the worst. A quote attributed to Joseph Heller is equally true “Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you”. In a competitive environment, you can always assume your competitors are trying to torpedo your sale, or steal your customers. Even in a friendly customer relationship, it is prudent to assume there is at least one user or executive that is not happy with your solution and is out to get you.
In a sales setting, the best defense is a well thought out sales cycle that defines the Actions, Artifacts, and Timing of every step of the journey. Actions, refers to who is doing what at each stage of the cycle—on both the vendor’s side and the prospect’s side. Artifacts, refers to measurable outcomes from the Actions. They demonstrate that the actions occurred. Examples may be proof that a demo happened and the right attendees were present, or a plan was delivered and the prospect responded positively and agreed to a project plan. These are the items a sales manager wants to see to be assured that the seller is doing the right things in the right order.
The third element of a solid sales plan is Timing. This is where productive paranoia comes into play. Sharks suffocate if they stop moving, and the same is true for enterprise sales opportunities. If a qualified buyer has engaged in a sales cycle, then you should assume that like the shark, the deal should be constantly moving forward or it is dying. The sales cycle plan should have an anticipated range of duration assigned to each step. For example, if the next step in your plan is a demo, then the plan should say how soon it should occur. If a demo is typically scheduled within 1–2 weeks of the prior step, and it has been a month since the last contact, something is wrong. Every step of the process should have a planned duration, and if a deal stalls on some step of the process for longer than the allotted duration, productive paranoia should kick in immediately. Think about it like the shark, and assume that a stalled deal is a dying deal. Something went wrong and you need to resuscitate the opportunity.
In an ongoing customer relationship, the triggers for productive paranoia may be more subtle. Once again, however, the best defense is to construct a plan for a healthy customer relationship and track Actions, Artifacts, and Timing. Most enterprise platforms capture usage data, and this is a great source of metrics for Actions and Artifacts. As in the sales cycle example, the customer success team needs to marry the usage artifacts with anticipated timings. How long is it taking to launch the platform, how fast are users coming up to speed, was there a delay in the rollout, etc. I am an advocate of planned and scheduled routine customer meetings. Productive paranoia should kick in when a previously scheduled meeting is delayed or cancelled, or when key participants stop attending.
Assume that there is always someone lurking in the shadows trying to steal the business away. Do I sound paranoid? I am a firm believer that we have to celebrate success and look at life through a positive lens, but that doesn’t stop me from always doing the “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” conversation. By the way, Joseph Heller probably did not write that line, and it does not appear in the book “Catch 22” as is generally assumed. It does however appear in the movie version of Catch 22, and some people think the screen writer Buck Henry came up with the line.