We all get bogged down by slow-moving deals. But few things are more
frustrating – or time-wasting – than a sale that stalls despite the
enthusiastic assurances of your client contact, that internal supporter
who stresses, "We really are interested in your product – but you
have to be patient!"
These supporters may seem like helpful allies, but in reality they’re
unwitting enemies. It’s not that they want to string you along and
block access to the people who can make the purchase. In fact, they
may sincerely want to take the deal forward. But chances are they
don’t have the power or influence to make it happen. To get a derailed
deal back on track, you need to turn your supporter into a coach,
someone who can show you how to get the deal done.
But here’s another problem: in debriefing hundreds of sales cycles,
I’ve noticed that too many salespeople mistake supporters for true
coaches. How can you tell the difference?
Coaches exhibit these five qualities:
They trust and confide in you
They have the trust and confidence of the people in power
They have a personal stake in this project
You ask them to be a coach, and they accept
They translate words into action, and agree to a plan that helps
you both move the sales cycle forward
If your contact is not a coach and your deal is stuck, you have three
choices:
Let it ride, cross your fingers and hope it will eventually go your
wayGo over the supporter’s head to jumpstart the deal
Go to your supporter to get the deal moving
Hoping and wishing and praying are never the best sales strategies,
so forget about the first option. Option B risks sacrificing the trust
and rapport you have built with your contact and their colleagues,
which could cause the deal to fail. What you need are the choices
and the strong relationship provided by Option C.
That means turning your advocate into a coach. Try the following
plan to get stuck deals back into action:
SALESPERSON: "I have enjoyed working with you on this project,
and I think you have a great vision. My concern is that no one else
here really supports this to the extent they are willing to take personal
ownership to get it done. If this project fails, will any one other
than you notice?"SUPPORTER: "Oh, yes, there are many."
SALESPERSON: "Who?"
SUPPORTER (after a long and uncomfortable silence): "I guess,
really, there’s no one."SALESPERSON:"I’m sorry to hear that, but if it’s reality, we
need to deal with it. What should we do?"
At this point your advocate has two options:
You’re right and there’s no genuine interest in investYou’re right
and there’s no genuine interest in investigating the deal, in which
case you should politely close the file and move onto other prospects;
or,
The supporter realizes they must take you to those interested in
the deal and able to push it along, i.e., "I guess I need to
take you in to see my boss!"
Knowing how to transform supporters into coaches is the first step
to resuscitating dormant deals. Using your coach to get to the decision
makers will ensure the sales cycle gets rolling again. Now it’s up
to you and the coach to win over the boss.