Again, I need to preface with one of my philosophies. If you have not read the last post, or had the “privilege” of sitting with me and talking sales after a couple of glasses of wine, you probably have never heard my opinion of closing. The greatest sales people are not deal closers, they are door openers. They see the first sale as a starting point, not the end, and no matter how you color it, closing has a sense of finality.

I ask all of the sales leaders reading this to think about what it takes to hunt. Prospecting is a thankless task, and finally one gets to qualify a contact extensively and uncover an opportunity. Then, to flush out the conditions of the sale, the requirements to make a difference, and the management of any possible objections. This process involves really getting to understand someone and what they are trying to accomplish. It involves become trusted and liked by that person. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO ALL OF THAT AND THEN BE DONE?

When you are finally done proposing and you have the opportuntiy to foster a long relationship between your company and another, it is time to start planning for the marriage. Plant seeds early to get what you want, a reference and referrals. It is critical to gain access into your contacts inner circle. People tend to run with others like them. If you develop a relationships with one person in IT, they will usually gain you access to other IT professionals. If they are trusted in their circle, you are welcomed by implied reputation. This can be even stronger within a company. Here the results can help you gain access. Doing a good job in one department can often gain you access to another. It can also make it easier to up sell or cross sell as the opportunity permits.

So, what do you do if you are not closing? The answer is easy, but takes some dedication. This is well worth the effort, since every customer you do this with can equal hundreds and hundreds of cold calls. Call them and thank them a day or two after the sale. Follow up via e-mail weekly, and remember those little news articles and tips you found and shared as you were cultivating the lead? Do not stop sending them. Call monthly and ask what benefits they are seeing. If they do not know, find out and take that data and develop a study. People appreciate these things, and once the data is confirmed, they will not only let you share it, but help you find people in their network to share it with. If this sounds hard, guess what while the answer is easy, at first doing this well is challenging. Like everything else however, it becomes second nature after time. Nothing, and I mean nothing, helps endorse a sale more than a colleague telling you why you have to do something NOW!

Tags: , , , Ask the Coach, blog, business consulting, closing, coach, learning, management, marketing, mentor, Pipeline, Prospecting, Qualifying, sales, Sales 2.0, sales coaching, sales consulting, sales management, sales training, selling

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 pm and is filed under Customers, Opening not closing, Sales Training. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.