In sales, I have found that you generally encounter three kinds of people:
- STALLERS: those empowered to stall by asking for more information, to delay, to send you on a wild ride to answer all their questions (based on the old saw: “the prospect is always right.”)
- Those who SEEM to stall, because they do not have the authority to say YES.
- And a small number of prospects who are actually authorized to say YES.
Generally, there is little chance of moving a prospect from one category to another. True YES people are rare in an organization, because they possess both responsibility and power. Power has been spread to committees, groups, departments, and teams; sometimes it seems that no one --- even the CEO --- is willing to make a decision on his own without feedback and participation by their “team”.
In my first year in business --- fresh from college and full of piss and vinegar --- I had a grizzled manager who had a folksy “saying” for everything. He summarized this problem as “Never take NO from a man who can’t say YES.” Bingo. Too many of us do not do the due diligence to uncover the decision-making process for a prospect company, and often spend months pitching, following-up, enticing, and working with a contact who does not have the authority to ever say yes on his own! I’m confident that all of you reading this blog have immediately thought of such a case in your past.
So here are my tips:
- Find out as much as you can about the decision-making process at a client prospect before (or at the very least, during) your first meeting.
- If it seems confusing or vague, ask a DIRECT QUESTION “Who has the authority to authorize this proposal?” Be diplomatic --- but tenacious --- to outline the entire “engagement process” as early as possible.
- Proceed accordingly.
- Constantly probe and “reality check” your pipeline to assure you have not strayed off-track.
- Don’t assume anything, “trial close” early and often. This will bring the barriers right out in the open.
Selling is tough. Make sure you don’t make it tougher.
“After all is said and done, more is said than done.”
--- Aesop, philosopher