Sales Blog for Sales and Sales Management

‘I have to think it over' - BOOM

‘I need to take it to the board' - BOOM

‘I need to crunch the numbers' - BOOM

‘I'm meeting with another provider' - BOOM

‘I'll get back to you next week' - BOOM

I was at State Dock, Lake Cumberland over the 4^th of July.  They have a wonderful 30 minute firework's display starting at 9 pm CT.  Thirty minutes of Boom, Boom and more Boom.  As my wife Linda says, ‘you've seen one fireworks display, you've seen them all." I'm about a quarter of a mile from where they are shooting off the fireworks.  When I close my eyes and then open them at the boom of the explosion, the flash was already gone!  (Speed of sound 343 m/s.  Speed of light = 983,571,056.4 ft/s)

BOOM - I'm thinking, the same thing happens in sales.  By the time you hear a ‘sales boom' i.e. ‘I want to think it over'- it's too late.  You've missed it.  The flash, the color, the opportunity to seize the sale, is over.  Well not over, but you do have to light a new firecracker (revisit the basic motivation of the buyer) all over again.  And that sometimes turns into a dud.

To avoid the BOOMS you must hear these critical cues while the sales firecracker is lit:

• I have a problem and I will fix it
• I have the money and will spend it
• I will replace my current relationship
• I will make a decision at time of presentation

To get these responses in a sales call you must ask critical questions to light your sales firecracker.  You must ask questions that help you:

• Find out why the prospect is taking valuable time to visit with you other than ‘I have an open mind and like to stay abreast of what is happening'
• Discover the extent of the problems and actual realized cost of not fixing the problems
• Make sure that there is adequate financial and time resources available to invest to fix the problem
• Get a clear understanding of who the decision maker is and the decision making process prior to making a presentation
• Get an agreement for a decision prior to presenting any solutions

Ask these questions to light the opportunity, listen for the critical cues and you will avoid sales BOOMS.