Ask the Coach: My prospect is stalling or just plain no good

I think I am not the only one that sometimes experiences this:

Your offer is out, you call them back few days later and they did not have time to go through it.
You try again after 5 days, still nothing… you offer to meet them again if there is something else that needs to be discussed, nope.
20 days later from when the offer is out, still nothing happens.

Obviously their interest has dropped below zero so, how can I bring to my prospects some reasonable arguments on moving forward or simply, to retire my offer?

A yes, or a not, but not a standby and/or “I’ll call you back”.

Conference seats sellers can kill the lead with “Is not anymore available”, but I cannot do this with my services. How can I take back control by staying professional and leaving as little as possible to them?

-Denis Rasia

This is a common question in most modern day sales environments. Even when asking questions and building rapport so many of our modern day salespeople still can not wait to jump out a build the proposal. Often the proposal is built on solid understanding of what the prospect is look for and who we are dealing with. Much time has been spent presenting solutions and trying to gain buy in. However, and Denis I recommend you read  ”High Probability Selling” which you can buy here. The section that talks about gaining commitment before moving the sales process along would help you immensely.

There are two things to keep in mind before proposing to a prospect:

1. Only propose to people that you have met their conditions of buying. This means that if you propose what they expect, they will become your customer. If this is not an agreement you can come to, do not propose. If you are part of a bidding process, it is your call whether you want to get involved, but if you do without knowing the conditions of making a purchase, quote them and move on. I personally just move on without the quoting part. People that go out to bid do not really understand what they want, and usually make lousy customers (see Governments).

2.Make a proposal only after you clearly understand the buying process and where you stand in the measurement of sales potential. If you do not understand the criteria for purchase then you should not propose. “But what if they demand a proposal?” Again, read the book and heed this advice: “I only propose to people after I understand who is involved in the buying process and how purchases are made. It takes a great deal of effort to build a proposal and do not want to guess at what your requirements may be. It is better for all of us to sit down and determine the best course of action before I draw up a proposal.” If they do not agree, then shake hands and walk away.

If you live by these two credo’s you will rarely, if ever get stuck with a proposal out and no sale. Instead you will usually end up with a lot more sales.

Sales Training: Gaining Commitment – Conditions of Proposal »« Book Review: Lead Generation for the Complex Sale – Brian Carroll