In order to win any deal, you need proprietary information about the internal machinations (biases, conspiracies, and secret schemes) of the customer’s decision making process that only a spy can provide. Without a spy, you never know how well you are positioned in an account or what the enemy’s next move will be, and you are susceptible to surprises throughout the sales cycle.  However, during a recession having a spy becomes even more essential because the most formidable competitor today is “No Decision.” It is only through spies that you can truly learn if there is really business to be won in the first place.

The sales vernacular has many different terms for spies. They are also known as coaches, internal advocates, champions, and counselors. All of these advisors share a common characteristic. They have a selfish reason for wanting you or your company to win. This reason may range from the simple fact that they like you to the complicated nature of internal politics, where your solution helps them gain power, prestige, or authority.

Our spy acts as our eyes and ears when we are not around. Who is passing along secrets about what the other vendors are up to and telling us about the preferences of the various selection committee members? Who is telling us privileged and proprietary information that the other vendors aren’t receiving? Most importantly, is there really a deal here in the first place?

Accurate information is the lifeblood of every deal, and the only way to get true information is through the use of a spy. Obviously, the more spies you have inside an account, the better the quality and quantity of information you will receive. The information received from these spies can be used to triangulate your position in an account and help determine your course of action.

Triangulation is a technique of comparing multiple data points to determine your true position. Determining your position in an account based upon information from multiple sources is quite the opposite of dead reckoning, where you only have one source of information in an account. Being at the mercy of a single person is a risky position to be in. What if your spy is wrong?

Spies can either be weak and strong. Weak spies are observers who provide you information about the internal machinations of the selection process. They report the thoughts of the various selection team members and the movements of other vendors. Strong spies are not only observers, but they are disseminators of information as well. Strong spies have a deeper, more personal connection to you than weak spies do. They’re more akin to confidants than acquaintances. In fact, they are trusted friends who will courageously defend you and your solution when you are not around to do so yourself.

One of the most important aspects of spying is that it enables salespeople to truly understand the nature of an organization and who has the real power. Vested interests in a project go far beyond the names and titles on an organization chart. You must have a spy to win a deal. Without one, you never know the true nature of the organization. And, you cannot answer the most important recession time question you must continually ask yourself, “Is there really a deal here to be won?”