When you close a sale, who wins? Is it you? Your customer? Your company?

Too often we’ve been told to focus on win-win solutions. Win-win negotiations. Yet in a traditional win-win situation, the goal is for two stakeholders—typically the buyer and the selling company—to win. Where does that leave you, the seller?

I hear sellers talk about feeling unimportant, caught between their company and their buyers. They express frustrations about being pushed to sell certain products, when they know a different solution will fit their buyer’s POWNs better.

Do you feel caught in an uncomfortable situation where you don’t see yourself winning alongside the the buyer and your company.  Do you feel you are merely the middleman who sometimes has to choose sides?

It’s a balancing act!

When all parties work together, all the stakeholders can win. It’s a win-win-win or Win3—I call this the “win-cubed.” And its the result of collaborative selling.

A sale made collaboratively where the buyer has a problem, opportunity, want, or need (POWN) addressed with your solution (product or service) provides a winning outcome for everyone.

This graphic illustrates the concept of the Win3™ and the inter-connectivity of the stakeholders. The center components of the model are the means for accomplishing the triple win, Win3. So, how does each stakeholder win? Let’s identify the winning possibilities when the sale is made and the buyer’s POWNs are successfully addressed.

• Your customer wins by having a solution to their POWNs. They may benefit in any number of ways, including: more satisfaction in their work, less stress, more money or savings, more free time, peace of mind, an opportunity captured, an enhanced reputation, a problem resolved, a specific need or want fulfilled, and the ability to take on additional responsibilities and challenges.
• Your company wins with increased revenue, additional sales, market share gains, customer retention, higher profit margins, higher employee retention, and a good reputation.
• You, the seller, win by being gainfully employed and compensated, although that’s not unique to the collaborative selling approach. What makes collaborative selling unique is that stronger buyer relationships and value are provided that create loyalty and lead to more, and often larger, future sales. You also become a valuable part of the solution, and that builds greater confidence and satisfaction.

And the winning doesn’t stop there.  There are additional stakeholders who also win. These include the buyer’s company, your company’s shareholders, others in your company who build the product and deliver the service you sell, or those who simply keep their jobs because your sales contribute to the company’s bottom line.

You can even add your personal stakeholders as additional winners, including family and friends, because your well-being and financial success affect them, too. When a collaborative sale is made, and the buyer’s POWNs are addressed, it’s a string of wins all around. You may be wondering, “Is it really possible for all the stakeholders to win?”

Yes!  It is possible when you focus on the components in the middle of the Win3 model:

• Being genuine (no phonies or fakes allowed)
• Focused on What’s in it for Them (WiifT)
• Collaboration – where you work together to match the right solution, reach the decision, and implement the solution