Mastering the Art of Sales: Lessons from Amber Arondekar

Introduction: Sales Is Not an Art or Science, It’s a Process

In the world of business, sales is often misunderstood as either an art that comes naturally to a few or a science mastered through formulas. According to Amber Arondekar, a renowned sales coach and business consultant with over 25 years of experience, the truth lies somewhere else: “Sales is neither an art nor a science — it’s a process.”

Every sale, whether it’s of a high-end luxury car or a household product, follows a predictable and repeatable pattern when done right. And this process is what separates successful salespeople from average ones.

The SPANCO Framework: The Foundation of Every Sale

Amber emphasizes one of the most reliable and time-tested models in sales — the SPANCO framework, introduced by Xerox, a global pioneer in direct selling. SPANCO stands for:

1. Suspect – Identify potential customers who might need your product or service. These are your top-of-the-funnel names.
2. Prospect – Qualify the suspects using the MAN principle:
   • M – Money: Does the customer have purchasing power?
   • A – Authority: Can they make the buying decision?
   • N – Need: Do they have an explicit or implicit need for your offering?
3. Approach – Build trust through authentic communication. Amber calls this the “surgical step” of sales, comparing it to a surgeon’s precision.
4. Negotiate – Understand customer needs and align them with the right solution. Negotiation isn’t bargaining; it’s about fitment.
5. Close – Convert interest into action using empathetic closing techniques.
6. Order – Ensure delivery, satisfaction, and future relationship building.

The Approach: Be a Surgeon, Not a Butcher

Amber beautifully illustrates two kinds of salespeople — the butcher and the surgeon. Both “cut,” but for very different reasons. The butcher cuts to kill; the surgeon cuts to heal.

A successful salesperson, like a surgeon, must first administer “anesthesia” — the customer’s trust. Without trust, even the best sales pitch will feel like pain to the buyer.

He advises a Three-P approach to structuring your interaction:

• Purpose: Why you are here.
• Process: How you’ll go about it.
• Payoff: What’s in it for the customer.

This framework helps build rapport and credibility quickly, turning an ordinary conversation into a meaningful sales dialogue.

The 70-20-10 Rule of Prospects

Amber introduces a fascinating statistic based on real sales behavior:

• 7% of people are ready to buy and ready to engage.
• 23% are willing to engage but not ready to buy yet.
• 70% are neither willing to buy nor to engage — and ironically, this 70% is where the biggest sales opportunities lie.

“Your biggest business will come from those who didn’t even know they needed your product,” Amber explains.

The lesson? True salespeople create demand where none exists — not just cater to existing demand.

Negotiation: Fitment Over Price

Negotiation is often mistaken for haggling over price. Amber clarifies that real negotiation is about aligning the product’s value to the customer’s specific need.

If a customer says, “This is too expensive,” it’s often a sign of poor value perception, not affordability. When customers see value, price becomes secondary.

He gives a classic example:
If you’re trying to sell an Audi to an Alto customer, price will always be the issue. But if you’ve identified the right customer — someone who values luxury, safety, and engineering — they’ll willingly pay a premium.

He relates this to how Apple sells not the best specs, but the perception of being the best. Likewise, Mercedes-Benz sells safety and prestige, not just a car. That’s value selling, not price selling.