Hello everyone,

I hope all of you are starting to experience warmer weather.

To recap we are moving through the sale process and the commitments for each.  If you are done the work to build the trust of the customer and for the customers to explore options that might help them.  During that time you have asked questions to draw out the needs that align with your organizations benefits so that you can move into the “Sell Your Organization” step

During this step where you are addressing some of their areas that they are open to changing you are working to gain the commitments of change for owner operators and collaboration with the group of buyers.  In both of these types of customers you want to focus how your organization aligns with their big needs as well as how the organization will be able to help them get further.  It could be the software that your organization utilizes to help them to analyze their electric architecture, or the fact that you have a large marketing department that is pioneering the end user data to understand their buying habits. 

You will also be using these same commitments to leverage the next step in the sales process which is “Sell your product” change and collaboration are needed commitments to keep them moving along while you show them how your benefits of your product will help them with their needs that they have opened up to you about earlier in the sales process.  Typically you can sell the organization and the product during one meeting as they go hand in hand.  Hitting the largest needs that they have usually the 3-5 with a tailored presentation will get the customer to move forward and where you can ask for the order.

When you are in the “Ask For the Order” step in the sales process remember to give your price and shut up.  Then it is up for them to give in and commit to buying / decide to execute the transaction.  Now if the customer is resistant, then you need to move immediately back to the “Uncovering Needs” .  Hopefully it is a small need that you can hit with an extra benefit or two.  I have missed a few times and had to go back to uncovering needs which mainly was because I didn’t ask all of the questions to get the needs.  I blame myself for being an impatient person.  My name is Kevin and I am an impatient person. 

Moving along because we know you have done your due diligence and the customer says YES and you get past the confetti falling in your head and sounds of champagne bottles being opened, you need to immediately reaffirm the customer and move them on to the next steps.  For an owner operator / end user you are moving them to the delivery date and for the group of buyers to the commitment of implementation. 

If the group of buyers tell you that someone else needs to be involved in the decision then my friend you will need to go regroup fast and move to get the commitment to another collaboration meeting.  If you are not allowed to meet with the decision maker then you need to make sure prior to that meeting that you review all things so they are fresh in the buyers minds.  This is not the time to relax. 

Seeing that we are focusing on the positive we will assume that you are working on the implementation / delivery date.  After that time you can finally celebrate before moving on to the next customer briefly. 

During that time you need to commit to your self to constantly find ways you can improve as no one officially arrives.  Everyone can get better. 

As always if you have questions, want to dig deeper, or if you would like to ask about other topics feel free to reach out to me at info@kevinsidebottom.com 

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

Sales and Leadership Enterprises