The Power and Flaw of Checking In

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What once was old is new again…

I’ve always despised when salespeople call clients or prospects to “check in”. These calls offer no value, are a waste of the prospect’s time, and come across as needy. It’s flawed selling.

For years I held this notion. Later, still years ago, I went through a professional sales training program called CSS through an employer. The program was licensed through Richardson. There I learned the power of checking — but an entirely different type of checking.

With Richardson-grade checking, you:

…ask for feedback throughout the call, for example, after you have positioned your message, responded to an objection, answered a question, etc.”

Doing this allows you to know — not guess — where you stand with your contact and whether the prospect or client is taking this seriously.

Now, the skill itself may not seem game-changing. But it has stuck with me to the degree that I now would say it’s part of me. Enough that I don’t think of it as “checking”, it’s just something I do.

Then I traded emails recently with Jim Brodo, Senior Vice President of Marketing, which prompted me to visit their site and their “Cyber Sales Tips”, where I was glad to see they feature checking as a professional sales skill. It reminded me of the technique and its importance…and so I pass it on to you.

Long story, short point: the power of checking is real; the power of checking-in is not. Know the difference.