Under the label of P3 Consulting Company (the newest strategic alliance of Petey Parker and Associates) I am very pleased to introduce to you one of our newest Faculty Members, Maura Schreier-Fleming.
Maura started her company Best@Selling in 1997, and her clients include Fortune 500 companies from diverse industries. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results and Monday Morning Sales Tips. She is a guest columnist with the Dallas, Austin and Houston Business Journals. Maura is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA). She received her M.S. from Georgia Tech in Textile Engineering and earned a B.S. from Cornell University in Textile Chemistry. This highly talented woman is an adjunct instructor at Southern Methodist University and developed and delivers the Master Selling Series for the Small Business Development Center in Plano, Texas. Look for more information by viewing her website www.Bestatselling.com
Please take time to read her blog, “When will it End?”
Do you have sales that seem like they are never going to close? I was thinking about a few of my sales that took a lot longer than I thought they would. At some point in the sales process, I even thought, “This is going nowhere. Maybe I should stop trying to sell.” Yet I didn’t and then they closed. I look back at those deals that did close and I see some things in common.
Accept that some sales will take time. It’s your job to do everything you can to prevent sales delays. You have to identify clear customer needs. Make sure you are talking to the decision maker or decision makers. Your solution has to be valued by the customer. If you are doing all of these things, you are less likely to contribute to sales delays. Yet, the delays should not be a surprise. Delayed sales have telltale signs that they’re going to be a problem. You will see the signs if you pay attention. One sign is when a prospect states a deadline and doesn’t meet it. At the first sign of any delay, know you’ve got a prospect who might take longer to sell than you think—or hope.
How to push Once you know you have a problem, listen for what I call “gray” words that relate to time. When a customer says, “We’ll do that soon” you don’t know what they mean by soon. That’s when you ask for clarification. You should respond with, “And when will that be?” At every meeting get agreement for a specific time that a decision or action will be taken. Then confirm, “Do you have everything you need from me so that you can make your decision by that date?” Unless you are vigilant, you’ll see things quickly unravel. Some customers are disorganized. Others attend to the easy work. You have to help them become organized and make your project the easiest.
What to avoid. What if a prospect said he would call you and didn’t? Would you call and say in a hostile tone of voice, “You were supposed to decide in a week and it’s been a month”? I certainly hope not. Don’t get angry or critical. You can never criticize a customer. Trust me on that one. You lose every time.
Instead, never make a call or respond to an email when you’re angry. Calm yourself before you contact the prospect. If you want the business, it’s going to be on your customer’s terms, timetable and conditions. Either accept them, or move on. I’ve learned to accept them. While it tests my patience, I think that patience and my empathy towards my customer is what’s gotten the sale.
I’ve had prospects email me with apologies about their delays. I’ve always responded, “Yes, I understand. Business is so unpredictable and you have to attend to what’s most important for you. I’ll be waiting for your response when you have the time.” I do believe that people don’t intentionally cause delays. Sometimes they don’t know how to manage other people. Their bosses may be the problem. They find it difficult to get the time they need from their bosses. Maybe they don’t want to be seen as a source of stress so they back off and you suffer.
Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Those slow moving sales might seem like hell to you when you are in their midst. Your polite persistence is just what you need to keep going and close those slow moving deals.
Maura Schreier-Fleming (maura@bestatselling.com)
Best @Selling
(www.Bestatselling.com to get the monthly SELLING NEWSLETTER)
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Author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results and Monday Morning Sales Tips
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Sales training and consulting to sell more now.
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President
Houston Texans (NFL Football Team)