Get a yes or a no
Written by Brandon Hull on November 15, 2005. Leave a Comment on this Post.
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Received my eCoach newsletter today from Duane Sparks, author of the book Action Selling. (I’d highly recommend you subscribe.) He had a great tidbit on always asking for a commitment:
“…in the end there is only one reason why a salesperson’s job exists. Your principal mission is to gain commitment from customers.”
I completely agree. It’s all about results. A lot of things matter, but you are measured on the revenue you generate, not the strength of your customer relationships, your vast industry experience, or the timeliness of your reports. It’s all about the numbers. You are fooling yourself if you believe anything else.
Hi Brandon,
I am a consultant for Duane Spark’s company, The Sales Board. Duane passed on to me a copy of your e-mails and when I clicked on your web site, I found great content on selling concepts.
In our sales training program, we place a great emphasis on pre-call planning so that the sales rep has a clear purpose for making every call. If they don’t have a clear “Commitment Objective” in mind, they need to stop and think it through until they know what they want to accomplish.
I also agree with your post. No one gets paid until the sale is made.
In a consultative selling situation, I like the concept of “gaining commitment” as opposed to “closing the sale” - because it more accurately states the price a person will pay to move the sales process forward. Usually, the price the prospect pays is their time to meet with the sales rep. In most situations the value of the relationship determines the amount of time a prospect is willing to pay. The real job of the sales rep then, is to get the prospect to commit to moving the sale to the next logical step.
Often a sale requires multiple meetings with a prospect and perhaps with other contacts who can influence the purchase decision. Here relationship skills are important to show interest in your prospect and your desire to understand their situation. Studies show it is more important for people to feel they are understood than it is for them to understand you. To get a $50,000 sale you need a $50,000 relationship.
Looking forward to talking with you.
Best regards,
Eric -
Thanks for commenting Eric. I particularly like your last statement: “To get a $50,000 sale you need a $50,000 relationship.” How true.
And it’s crazy how many sales “professionals” ignore the need to have a predetermined objective before walking into an appointment or cold call. It shows a complete lack of forethought and…professionalism.
Thanks again for commenting.