Omaha Steaks

COVERSTORY

SalesForceXP November/December 2008 Cover

See the Future By Helping to Set It

Determining what's next with prospects and clients is a huge part of controlling the sales process

My clients are clear about what they think is going to happen, but they haven't shared it with their customer," says Brooke Green, a consultant with Caskey Achievement Strategies (www.caskeytraining.com) in Indianapolis. "How do you know if you're all on the same page? Your customer may have an entirely different plan."

Green shares six action steps that your salespeople should accomplish before leaving a meeting so they are in control of the process and the client is never surprised:

  1. If your gut is nagging you, something has been left unsaid; A salesperson should never leave with a nagging feeling.

  2. Always recap what was said in the meeting and make a suggestion for what the next step should be. Remember, a prospect is looking for your sales rep to lead them.

  3. If there is no next step, the salesperson shouldn't try to make something up. Confident salespeople are comfortable saying, "It appears we're not a good fit in this situation."

  4. If a salesperson senses there is something there, but is not sure "what's next," it's OK to say so. A comment like, "I'd like to digest what we discussed today. I think there is a reason for us to meet again, but I'm not sure what should happen next. I'll be in touch in the next day or so with some ideas on how to move forward," shows thoughtfulness and patience. It's still a clear future.

  5. The "clear future" should be how your sales rep opens the next meeting. "Mr. Smith, we agreed in our last meeting that today we would talk about signing a contract."

  6. Meetings should be followed up with a recap, either by letter or e-mail. The recap should state what was discussed, what the rep decided to do and when he will do it.

Green says Caskey teaches its clients to always develop a "clear future." How many times has one of your salespeople left a meeting with a positive feeling, yet also asking, "Should I call them? Should I send an e-mail? Maybe I should wait for them to call me."

A "clear future" is a great tool for keeping the right deals in your funnel and to keep those deals moving forward.


.

Paul McCord is the founder of McCord Training (www.powerreferralselling.com) in Midland, Texas.
.

See also in "What's Next..."

Off-Sites Are Down, But Not Out

What Do Your Meetings Look Like?

What Gives?

See the Future By Helping to Set It

.
.

 

Your feedback on our editorial is welcome at . We need to remind you that our articles are copyrighted. If you would like to distribute or post our material elsewhere, please contact .  Click here to subscribe today!