Move to predictable sales by clearly wrapping up your prospect's three milestones.
What milestones? Selling is about pitching a product. Right? Most sellers lead with key solution details and knowledge, missing what a prospect needs to hear. Founders rely on their points of view, explanations, and solutions as sufficient to drive change. Sometimes this works, but only sometimes. Why? Because early on, that is not a priority of the potential buyer. In the beginning, prospects prioritize completing their three milestones. Unfinished milestones delay buying decisions.
Worthy changes emerge when all stages have a clear and sensible answer.
For the prospect, each step needs a compelling reply to a question anchoring their decision to buy and change. My version of the milestone questions is as follows:
- Why can I trust you on this?
- Do you understand my problem as I see it?
- How will your solution outweigh my fear of change?
Think back on a recent big decision involving valued outcomes tied to changes. Without trust, would you have taken this step? Do you have confidence in the seller when your point of view isn't heard and accepted? How large of an available gain is needed to offset the hassles and risk of change? Small advances hardly motivate, tilting a decision back to the current method.
Live by chance, selling without a plan, just covering the solution. Bet on business as usual. Or be deliberate. A founder sorts out what the prospect wants to hear, planning and designing each point. Bet on intention. Get more sales.
Are you pondering my thoughts on this post? Share what is on your mind at converse@marketenabledsales.com.