It’s going to rain. Find something else to do.

I’m hungry. However, you knew well in advance you would be without food for the evening.

He said he was going to buy! I kind of got the feeling early on that this was a big game for him and he was not that interested.

All the above are the same, with a different focus. If you know in advance what is going to happen and you postpone the inevitable, shame on you.

Consider this scenario:

“John, I really like the software you’ve shown me and I appreciate the early payment discounts. As I told you earlier, we are currently using our CFO’s brother-in-law for this. While I like yours better, you are a bit more expensive and it’s going to be hard for me to get the okay to change. But, I’ll work on it and let you know. Thank you for your time.”

This isn’t rocket science; it’s business development. But, how many times do you go down the highway of hope only to justify their current vendor choice or the decision that was made long before you ever showed up?

If the inevitable is a no and you learn that early, stop! Go find another prospect! There is no shame in telling the prospect NO.

Here’s another scenario:

“I got an e-mail that she wanted to buy our tools and get signed up for our vendor replacement program. She even told me she had already looked at the competition and was sure we would be her vendor of choice. I set the meeting, went out there and spent 3 hours showing her, her engineers, and the head of maintenance our programs. They even took me on a tour. When we got done she told me that she would call when she was ready and it would only be a few weeks. That was several months ago…What happened?”

The inevitable is this prospect will likely buy. The salesperson avoided and postponed the inevitable by educating instead of selling. Show up with a contract and make the sale today! Then educate Engineering, Maintenance, and everyone else after the contract is signed.

If we can quickly identify, based on past experience, what the prospect is likely to do, we may then bring the inevitable to the forefront! If there is a naysayer on the committee, call them out, (respectfully)! If there is a barrier that could stop the sale early, bring it up!

If the incumbent is going to pitch a fit, and that confrontation is inevitable, bring it up!

Never avoid or postpone the inevitable, good or bad, and you will sell more, faster!

Close The Deal | The Sales Store