Some salespeople make quick sales all the time. They can get to decision makers quickly. They convince those decision makers there is no reason to delay making major purchases. They even convince that person to override all objectives and just get the product installed.
I have been recruiting since 1992. There is a pattern that is obvious with the top 5% of salespeople. They sell fast, and their sales stick. No cancellations.
In the last few years the modus operandi of these elite salespeople has become obvious. More importantly, the way the other 95% of salespeople manage to ruin the sales process has become crystal clear.
- The sale is glacially slow if you try to sell to people who don’t care. That bottom 95% of salespeople would rather give their presentation to a kindergarten class than spend their time finding a CEO who is desperate. They are so focused on using their PowerPoint presentation that they don’t pay attention to the apathy and inability to buy of their audience.
- Speaking of slowing things down, the memorized, covers all, nothing left unsaid presentation is a killer. 95% of salespeople play it safe and always give the whole presentation. Unfortunately even an intensely needy customer only has a 5 minute concentration span. 45 minutes into the presentation the buyer has solved 5 vexing problems unrelated to your product and is hoping the salesperson will leave so he can do something useful.
- The 95% are trained seals who can bark out answers to objections but can’t close a sale. Since they relied on their beautiful PowerPoint presentation, they left the keys to the sale locked in the buyers mind. All that is left to do is to try and pressure the buyer into saying yes. They use every memorized objection handling technique ever invented. Sadly if the buyer does say yes, the sale may still be cancelled because the real problems are still locked in the buyer’s mind.
- Presentations and objection handling often combine to show the buyer how he will lose control by agreeing to the sale. A manager, director, or CEO is paid to be in control. The 95% salespeople make the buyer feel more out of control. That is the problem with pressure from the outside. It makes the buyer grab tighter and tighter to their current situation. Top salespeople give the buyer more and more control as they progress through the sales process.
- Letting the tension out of the buyer’s situation kills the sale. Giving the buyer control doesn’t mean letting him off the hook. The 95% notice the buyer getting upset and do anything to soothe his nerves. They offer solutions, minimize problems, and say the buyer’s problem is everywhere. What a great way to kill the sale. If everyone has the same problem, then there are probably a lot of people with the solution. The salesperson has just convinced the buyer that it is time to shop around, not time to buy. That is the best way of all to delay the sale.
Yes, the 95% all seem to make the same mistakes. Even worse, most of their bosses train them that way. Many salespeople are fired for doing the things that could cut their sales cycle in half. Of course all 5 problems are related. So if you want to speed up your sales process, you need to work on all 5 problems at once. It will work. It always does.
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At www.dilts.us/sales/faster-sales.html you can take a survey that will clarify the problems that are slowing down your sales process.
Since 1992 Bryan Dilts has been helping companies make changes that stick. He can be reached at bryan@dilts.us .