By Michael R. Nelson
It’s a new year, and I should probably write something about setting goals and forming a plan to make 2012 the best year ever!
The problem is that about 80% do not even have goals. Of those who have goals, 16% do not write them down; while 4% do, only 1% reviews them on a regular basis. What does that all mean? It means only a column on setting and achieving goals wouldn’t be worth much!
Instead of revolutionizing our sales program or setting the world on fire (or maybe covering it with snow), let’s take a small step in 2012. Let’s stop doing something that is probably the most overused, abused and hated (at least by our prospects) thing in sales. Let’s stop using the ever-annoying “I’m just following up with you ….”
As a sales person, I have said this to prospects hundreds of times. So has every other sales person who is in sales purgatory, waiting for the prospect to get back to them. How many times have you submitted a proposal and then waited for the prospect to get back to you and they don’t? So, you start calling. Sometimes you get them on the phone, and other times you get the dreaded voicemail. In either case you hear yourself saying, “Mr. Prospect this is (insert your name and company here) I’m just following up on the proposal we submitted” or “I’m just checking in to see if you have made a decision.”
When you’re “checking in,” what is really happening is you’re checking out—you have lost control of the sales process.
If you had a clear idea of what was happening next in the process, you would not have to follow up or check in. If you had mutually agreed with the prospect on a date and time to speak again regarding the outcome of the proposal—assuming the decision would not be made at the bid presentation—you would not be following up. Rather, you would be calling in for your scheduled conference call for a “yes” or “no” decision.
Stopping cold turkey will be tough but well worth it if it means increasing your sales success by taking control of the process.
For those currently in sales purgatory waiting for your prospect to call you with an answer (good luck with that), consider the following dialogue:
“Mrs. Prospect, when we last met I know we agreed on speaking again. Can you tell me where in your buying process we are?” The prospect will probably try to give you a wishy-washy answer like “We are close to making a decision so I’ll call you as soon as we do.” Do not accept that answer—otherwise you should not have even called. Do not let them off the phone or out of your sight until you have a specfic time and date for when they will give you an answer. If they will not give you a time and date then you probably already have your answer, right?
Michael R. Nelson is director of new business development for North Country Snow & Ice Management in Glens Falls, NY.
