In this interconnected universe, balance is a critical component of all things, including sales. Sounds a little silly huh?

Well, let me illustrate. Most selling conversations are around my product, its features and the benefits. Sales 101 right? The prospect has the sales rep run around providing information and the sales reps thinks that he just hit a double. Phone calls are made, messages are left, emails are sent, PowerPoint presentations are shown over and over, case studies are reviewed, proposals are developed, tours are scheduled, demos are run… you get my drift. All these activities are sales related, driven by sales with the hopes that we hit a pain point that resonates with the prospect. The rep gets down the road with all of this activity and then… you got it… the prospect goes “dark” “cold” “silent”! The process is out of balance.

Solution. As always it is simple . Here are a few ideas

  1. Ask… ask.. ask…. “Does this make sense?” “Are we on track?” “Who else do we need to have in the room?”
  2. Put your prospects shoes on… really on. Ask yourself if I were them what would be the most important reason for them to consider my services. Really pull those shoes on!
  3. By asking a lot of questions you can determine what you are going to ask the prospect to do. They need to have some skin in the game. Can you determine what actions they can do to help you prove your value? How about; a budget, a tour of their facility, a sample of their product, a view into their systems and procedures or an interview with one of their customers. Of course a lot of this depends on your product or services and your prospects business, however, if you think about it you can find ways to engage your prospect and get the process back in balance.

Click here for a copy of “Fifty Questions” – How to probe, uncover and discover your prospects pain.

Bob DavisBob Davis is the owner of simple.sales strategy in Austin, TX providing sales training and holding sales people accountable to a proven, systematic sales system. He can be reached at 512.658.9500 or rsdavis@simplesalesstrategy.com