Not Every Call You Make Is A Sale

Recently, reading an article, I was struck by a sentence, “Not every call you make is a sale.”

It leapt out of the page, somehow it seems obvious. Yet too often, it seems we behave just the opposite.

The very first emails set the tone–they are some variant of, “Let me tell you why you should buy my product.”  Every subsequent outreach, whether by email, telephone, or face to face is about the product or solution.

Many cast a very wide net, not knowing what the who the prospect is, what they do, or if there is even a fit.  But it’s a call, we present our product, hoping the customer will say yes.

Are You Aligned With Customers?

Each action focuses, ultimately, on the transaction. We rush to make the sale, though the customer is on a different journey.

Most sales people discover just what they need, listening selectively for key words that move to the demonstration or providing a proposal. Moving to the close is the goal.

Some provide lip service to the “buying process,” but everything is focused on the order.

And the results are always the same. Not every call or meeting is a sale.

It’s obvious, but it’s a process. The process starts in a very focused manner—finding only the people and organizations that have the problems you solve, and have a need to change.

We then walk with the customer through our shared selling and buying processes.

Time To Make Some Commitments

In reality, moving through  the process is moving through a series of commitments we make to each other. Each commitment is critical, skipping or missing them compromises the process.

Which gets me to the point of this article, what are those commitments?

Anthony Iannarino’s, The Lost Art Of Closing, Winning The 10 Commitments That Drive Sales, is your guide through this process.

The commitments are:

Anthony steps you through each of these commitments, helping you guide the customer through their process.

It’s a great guide for every sales person, make sure you pick up a copy!

David Brock is president of Partners in EXCELLENCE, a management consulting firm focused on sales productivity, channel development, strategic alliances and more. Read more blogs from Brock here.