Words of wisdom for this week.
“We do not choose our own parts in life, and have nothing to do with selecting those parts. Our simple duty is confined to playing them well.”
– Epictetus
One of the critical factors in a successful sales outcome is the sense of urgency a prospect brings to the sales process. A question I have been asked many times in my sales seminars is: can you create a sense of urgency? Yes, but it takes skill, and effective communication ability, right attitudes, product knowledge and confidence.
What is a sense of urgency? Let me give you a few quick examples.
- You discover that your prospect’s primary supplier is back-ordered and they need the supplies yesterday.
- Your prospect has just sold his home and has to be out in 15 days – and, you guessed it, he needs a new home yesterday.
- Here’s one from my personal experience. The prospect calls and has a meeting in two weeks for 500 people and their speaker just cancelled.
Urgency means the prospect needs a solution, answer, product, service NOW.
Price is not the issue, terms are not the issue. Your ability to deliver according to their needs or expectations is the ONLY issue.
Why do many salespeople spend literally hours every week in front of prospects that have no sense of urgency? Yes, you have to spend some time with them to determine if there is a sense of urgency, but once you discover there isn’t, or you can’t create it – NEXT. (That’s move on to the next prospect.) Yes, you need to continue to cultivate new and existing prospects and customers for new business and the outcomes of these relationships will vary but, sales are generally made only when there is a certain amount of urgency, tension or concern on the part of the prospect and you have helped them ease these emotions as a result of your sales message and performance.
Believe me – you will waste a great deal of time, corporate resources and energy chasing prospects without this sense of urgency. I can hear many of you now: but I have to see 5 prospects a day, or – my management requires that I see each prospect through to the end – whatever the outcome.
How can you create a sense of urgency? By focusing on the critical business factors, weaknesses, problems, and needs and showing the prospect how waiting will cost them more than they are going to want to pay if they wait.
Let’s look back at one of the above examples. Let’s assume that the current supplier is not back-ordered with the products your prospect needs. Here are a few questions to ask your prospect:
- What would happen if your current supplier couldn’t deliver?
- Are you prepared with adequate inventory if your current supplier can’t deliver?
- Do you have a secondary source of supply should your current supplier let you down?
Get the picture? You keep asking questions that focus on the problem (what if_ _ _ and could you). Now it’s your turn. Come up with some questions on your own that create a sense of urgency for your product/service.