When selling something we try to build empathy with the customer – see things from his perspective and use our experience to help him, or her, buy whats best. This type of “consultative” selling is usually the best way of matching a buyers perceived need with our offer.
There’s a danger though. In building the personal relationship based on trust we open ourselves to counter-attack. The buyer feels he can use the relationship to push for a better deal. Here we need a “bad guy in back”.
If we refuse the buyers requests (probably during negotiation and certainly thru implementation) we put all our credibility at risk. Now we’re worse off than ever. We’ve “conned” the customer into thinking we care, when actually we don’t. He’s been taken for a ride, because, when it comes down to it, we prefer our interests to his.
The guy who wrote “hell hath no fury like a women scorned” obviously wasn’t a salesman. Disillusioned customers are far worse 
When the customer starts to ask for concessions, our “bad guy in back” is the one who has the ultimate say, and customers aren’t at the top of his list. We’re not allowed to make concessions and he doesn’t understand the synergies for both parties.
Now we get to be the “arbiter” – the deal maker who can make things happen despite the commercial tensions.
The “trial balloon” now becomes our secret weapon. “if I can persuade my “bad guy in back” to go along with this, will you do the same?
Now, provided our “bad guy” goes along, we’ve achieved two VERY important objectives:
- We close the deal and
- Our customer “knows” we’re on his team.
Provided we can keep delivering, we’ll have a lasting, and mutually supportive relationship and best of all we’ll have Account Control.
Sales people need “Bad Guys in Back” who’ll go along, because they understand.
CEO’s, VP’s and Sales Managers need to understand the biggest contribution they can make is being the “Bad Guy in Back” and staying out of the way until called upon.
