One of the cool things about being a sales trainer is that salespeople want to tell you how well their sales are going. Recently, a senior level salesperson did just that, she told me how nimble she was on her latest sales call. She talked about the objections that the prospect brought up and how she handled each one. She talked about a meeting that went 45 minutes over the allotted time, and why that was a good sign. She also talked about how she was able to get the CFO more involved in the discussion because after 2 in-person meetings (with the head of HR) and one call it was determined that he was critical in the decision. The fact they brought a couple of other key players was a good sign too.
When I asked the question, "How is the deal going today?" The salesperson gave me a positive, "great, I hope to hear from them next week to sign the papers".
My next question was, what do you think could go wrong? She responded, "They had several objections to our fees and that was why they wanted to think it over". I asked, how did this sale fit in with your process? She said, " I did the presentation and now the ball is in their court. When I get to do a presentation that's a good sign."
After a few more minutes, I wrapped up with, sounds like you're in the game, best of luck with this deal.
Here's how this typically plays out and the 3.3 signs that maybe this did not go so well:
1) When the word "hope" is used in sales - get scared. Don't be surprised when it doesn't close, because hope is not a good sales strategy.
2) If there are objections still pending they have not been resolved - don't leave that meeting until you close them out.
3) A think it over, in this case, looks like they may need some extra time to find a substitute to do business with. You probably gave them a bunch of good information to help them keep shopping. With a few extra players in the room they probably took some great notes.
And the .3 - If you're giving a presentation with no clear next step as to what will happen, you may have a problem. Too often, you just did some free consulting to help them find that substitute.
This may turn out to be a sale, who knows. But if I were to bet on it, sounds like this is a no in the making.
When you see these warning signs it's time to ask some tough questions not only to yourself but to your prospect. It may be uncomfortable at first but the idea is to get to the truth to get more deals a bit quicker or simply get a no and move on. Gain a commitment and hold off on that presentation until you have a green light to proceed. The time it takes to do free consulting can be better used to find a new prospect.
The end result - just found out - this deal did not close. Well, it did, just with someone else.
