Obtains incremental commitments throughout the Sales Process

METHODICAL: Obtains incremental commitments throughout the Sales Process

Vivek was distraught. “Unfair, unimaginable. How could they do it?” he said. Ramesh, Vivek’s senior in the sales team said “Chill, my friend, tell me what happened” “Remember that facility management company who wanted to buy our line interactive UPS system? They were to issue purchase order this week. And yesterday they call me up to say they can’t afford the price now” “Hold on, let’s understand where this went wrong. Tell me more”.

“You know what’s so upsetting Ramesh. We have painstakingly customized a UPS that can monitor the integrity of utility power and correct voltage when input voltage fluctuates within a certain band. They have become super busy with the rising demand for fumigation, cleaning and refurbishing services. At a time when their cash registers are ringing like never before, they say price is an issue”

“Alright” said Ramesh “I think I know where the trouble is. It’s time for me to share with you the secrets of sure footed selling. Now listen carefully”

And this is what Ramesh shared – Today’s B2B Customers, engage in a large amount of research all through the purchase process. This means they think over their objections, long before the traditional ‘close’ of a sale. And when the seller moves in for closure, the buyer simply opts out citing a socially acceptable excuse such as price, while that in fact may not be the real reason for not buying.

The best way to preempt this kind of sudden deal death, is to work towards incremental commitments at every step of the purchase process. 3 thumb rules to follow are (1) Check for strength of commitment from all key stakeholders every step of the way. (2) Don’t confuse acknowledgment with commitment (3) Ask for baby steps to be taken at each stage so that objections are ‘smoked out’ and become evident early on

Sales veterans know that closing cannot be treated as the last step in a linear process. Instead, they employ the secrets of sure footed selling by obtaining incremental commitments throughout the sales process.