Have you ever lost a deal because you didn't make the right decisions?
- Control your process.
- Make good "go/no-go" decisions.
- Act in a way that supports your decisions.
Selling is a development process that is driven by the decisions of you, the seller.
Selling is what takes place when you lead the prospect through a step by step process, each step of which may lead to the prospect's disqualification and removal from the process. If you do not disqualify the prospect opportunity, the sale moves forward, and eventually culminates in the prospect making a buying decision.
While the prospect has one basic decision to make during this process - to buy or not to buy - you, the salesperson, have many decisions to make. At each step in the process, you must make a "go/no-go" decision. That is, you must decide if your prospect is qualified to move to the next step and whether or not to continue to invest your time and your company's resources in the process. These are critical decisions. You must make them in a timely manner.
Your ability to a) make these decisions and b) act in a way that supports your decisions, will determine the length of your selling cycle, and ultimately, the number of sales you close in a given period of time. For you, the professional salesperson, there can be no long period of "thinking it over." The prospect either meets the criteria you've established or he doesn't. You either move the person to the next phase of your selling process or you don't. You are the most important decision maker in the process.
Don't drag your feet
The more quickly you make your decisions, the shorter your selling cycle and the greater your chances for closing more sales. Dragging your feet on the decision leads to the opposite results - longer selling cycles and fewer sales.
If the development process progresses far enough, you'll be making a presentation for the purpose of obtaining a buying decision. If you have been decisive in making your "go/no-go" decisions along the way, you will be comfortable asking your prospect to commit to making a "buy/don't buy" decision when he views your presentation. The request will be consistent with the behavior and actions you have exhibited - and modeled for the prospect - all along.
Not only will you be comfortable asking your prospect to make a "yes/no" decision, but because you understand the downside of "think-it-over," you'll be comfortable giving your prospect permission to say "no" - rather than some for of "think-it-over" - if he has any doubts about your product or service being a best fit for his needs. (See also Rule #4: A Decision Not to Make a Decision Is a Decision.)
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