Close Every Sales Call

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Who's REALLY Making the Decision?

 

You made a great presentation.  Your contact likes your product. They agree that it will solve their problem. They like the company and even think your price is reasonable.  Sounds like you're getting the order!

 

Then you hear: “I'll have to talk to my boss.”

Oops!

 

One of the things you need to establish early in the sales process is:

Who's REALLY making the decision?

 

You can make the best sales presentation of your life, but if the person sitting across the desk from you can't buy what you're selling, you haven't made the sale.

 

I have always believed:  Non-decision makers make NON-DECISIONS!

 

That doesn't mean they aren't important. They may be a user, an engineer, someone in purchasing or simply the person assigned to gather information. They can influence the decision and they can certainly help you — or hurt you.

 

Ultimately, you need to be selling to someone who can say YES!

 

That's why you need to establish who the decision maker is BEFORE you invest too much time in the sales process.  You want to probe for who the decision maker is BEFORE you make your first call.  The first call establishes a point of contact that may be hard to bypass later.

 

Ask Open and Closed Probes.

• “Who will make the final decision?”
• “Who else should we involve in this?”
• “Would it make sense to have them join us when I come back?”

Don't be afraid to ask!

 

If your contact isn't the decision maker, your objective should be to get them to help you reach that person. Ideally, they make the introduction and become your ally in the process.

But what if they won't? - Now you have a decision to make.

 

Do you go around them?

Going around someone is a "DEATH BLOSSOM" weapon of LAST RESORT!

 

If you go over someone's head, you should assume they aren't going to be your biggest fan afterward. Nobody likes feeling that they were bypassed or that you didn't respect their position.  So don't do it casually.  But look at the other side.  If you are convinced that you need to talk to the decision maker to have any chance of getting the order — and your contact absolutely refuses to give you access — what do you really have to lose?

 

You're probably NOT getting the order anyway!

At that point, going around them may be worth the risk.

 

Try another contact. Call higher in the organization. Find someone who can introduce you. Use your network.  You will, more than likely, upset the person you were dealing with.  But remember why you're there.  - You're there to SELL!

 

Be professional. Respect everyone you deal with. Don't unnecessarily burn bridges.

 

But don't spend weeks or months making great presentations to someone who can never give you an order.  Find out early who can make the decision and find a way to get in front of them.

 

REMEMBER...

Non-Decision Makers make Non-Decisions!

 

Invest in Yourself -- Purchase Close Every Sales Call on Amazon Today.

Listen to the audiobook while you are in the car!

 

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