Have you ever spent two, three, six (or more) months working on a deal? You have momentum. Everything seems to be going well. Your solution is perfect. Your contact returns your calls. She replies to your emails. She meets with you when you are at her office. She even goes to lunch with you, as long as you are paying. All is good. Until it is time to finalize the deal – close it. That is when you learn that your contact (we will call her Carla) does not have the authority to approve the deal.
That is a “spirit-crusher”! Carla could have said NO at any point during the sales cycle, but you waited until the end (months later) to learn that she could not say YES. One of the worst feelings in sales.
This spirit-crushing lesson does not need to be learned more than once. You do not need that feeling in the pit of your gut ever again. Then why does it happen over and over? There are a few reasons:
- You trust Carla. Your “happy ears” hear what they want to hear & you do not think you need to dig deeper.
- You do not want to offend Carla by going over her head. And it works. You never do. (Solves that problem).
- You do not believe you “belong” at the higher level. You are comfortable with lower-level Carlas.
- You do not want to “upset the applecart” – “better not screw things up by asking too many questions.”
We have heard ‘em all. If any of these items ring true in your selling life you will fall victim to another spirit-crushing deal. Or should we say, “no deal”?
The lesson here: You must fight to get to the decision maker/makers and understand how the process works.
You read it right. The who, who else and how. Every single deal. We are not suggesting you go over Carla’s head in any way that exposes you to her. No need to offend Carla (you need Carla). We are suggesting that Carla help you get to the appropriate person/people.
Carla knows her place. If Carla wants you and your product or service, she will help you. Remember, Carla can say NO… she just cannot say YES.
Here are three ways to make sure you are selling to the decision maker(s):
- (How before who) When you make decisions like this, how does it work and who is involved?
- (Who before how) When you make decisions like this, who is involved and how does it work?
- (Every business is different…) Every business we work with is different. When you make decisions like this, how does it work & who is involved.
These questions are worded very carefully. They are designed to gather the information you need to ensure you are dealing with all the appropriate people and that you understand the process.
Be sure you do not break a cardinal rule of selling and give Carla the chance to lie to you by asking, “Are you the decision maker?” Some Carla’s out there cannot wait to get their needs met, cannot wait to puff there chest out and give you the perception that they have “power” and will immediately say YES to that question. Wrong question.
