We’ve talked through two practical ideas to utilize when coming to the end of a sales appointment. Today, in our third and final posting on the topic, I’m going to discuss something more philosophical … something you should NOT do.
Strategy #3: Don’t ask for validation. Before your sales manager tells you to stop reading, please finish this post because it will make total sense to you.
How many times have you used narrative similar to this:
“What do you think?”
“How do we compare to our competition?”
“What are the chances that you’ll move forward with us?”
In one form or another, these are sometimes referred to as closing questions, and most sales managers think they’re important to winning business, but they’re not. In fact, they hurt your chances of winning because they make you appear needy and desperate. Who wants to do business with a desperate sales person? Answers to these questions only help you feel better and provide information for your sales manager when they ask questions of you that don’t really matter.
Don’t get me wrong – you must ask a ton of qualification questions throughout the process. However, when you’re done presenting and establishing action items, get out of there. You’re good at what you do, so they’re going to be impressed… until you ask them what they think and look needy. When you’re done, review the action items, shake hands, and confidently leave. The impression and confidence you offer will be well worth not having an answer for you sales manager when they ask you “did they say if we’re in the lead?”
