Oct 28 • General Discussion
Knowing If They "Could" And "Would" Buy Today (in the first 5 mins)
Once there was a time when I didn't know if a prospect "could" buy from me today until I tried to close them at minute 35 of the 45 minute close call.
I didn't know if they "would" buy either.
In short I went into the close part "hoping" and "wishing" but rarely to never actually "knowing".
I ran with that approach for a long time as that was all I knew.
What I then knew and believed is what many still know and do:
- Assume the sale
- Keep it positive and optimistic
- Don't try to pre-handle objection talk
- If objections come up (almost always at the moment price comes in or I try to close them) then "handle" said objection
- Believe that "if they really want it they'll find the money"
- Keep price to the very end otherwise you'll "scare them off"
- Lead, radiate confidence and tell them how much you want to - and can - help them so that hey want to buy from you
etc etc
I'm not saying some of the above doesn't have it's place.
But if that is your entire approach you will be going into the close at minute 35 just as I did - hoping and assuming.
But not "knowing"....
Fast forward some years now and to me the greatest sin a professional sales person can make is this:
- to hope and to assume
- when the subject we are referring to is knowable.
And what I've learned is that most of what we'd like to know is knowable.
Things like
- Where they're at coming into today's call
- What they're open to / closed to
- What they're hoping to get out of this
- What happens if they like what they see
- What their decision making / buying process looks like
- Any other specific criteria they're working off
When you know how to get that information then you move from hoping to knowing.
And you can know all of the above in the first 5 minutes of the call.
You can then build the call of this start point.
And when you know then the world of trying to close someone at minute 35 based of hope and assumption just simply doesn't exist anymore.
Can you imagine how much time and energy is saved with this one change?
Can you imagine how many late, unforeseen and unsuccessful "objection battles" never happen at minute 37 of the call?
We shouldn't be trying to sell to people who simply can't or won't or even shouldn't buy from us today no matter what.
There is no point as there will not be a sale.
Yet when you don't "know" you spend so much time trying to convince that crowd that they "really should do this for XYZ" reasons....
I don't do any hoping, assuming or convincing anymore.
Nor do my students.
Why?
Because we know - in the first 5 minutes - if the prospect could and would buy today if their criteria is met.
And we know what that criteria is.
We also know what will happen should their criteria be met on this call.
We stress test / challenge all the information given to make sure it's real and it's clear.
And if it's moveable (which it often is).
And the results:
- Better and realer conversations (more open, honest, expansive and stimulating)
- More knowing (and less hoping / guessing)
- More sales (and higher sales amounts)
- Less time wasted, less convincing and less chasing (trying to sell to people who will never or shouldn't buy from you)
- Better and more dignified feels all around (for us and for them)
- The ability to work with higher level clientele (who don't tolerate a poor salesy sales approach)
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Knowing If They "Could" And "Would" Buy Today (in the first 5 mins)
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