CoorsKing
WR Officer
4
Retired King of the Coors Knights
Have you made sure you are correctly identifying the compelling event in the first place, and not entertaining "research projects"? Either that or you may need better champions who are willing to go to bat internally.ย 

Those are the two that hang me up occasionally, I constantly try to re-qualify both my champion and business pain at each step before I move farther down the funnel.ย 
detectivegibbles
Politicker
0
Sales Director
That's a good point and I think I am similar.ย 

I'm not always dealing with big corporate structures, sometimes just small start up doc offices so I am dealing with 1-3 people max.ย 
detectivegibbles
Politicker
0
Sales Director
Thanks BigMeech!
MajorB
WR Lieutenant
4
AE
Do you make a close plan with your prospect? Do you map out all the steps they need to do internally to get budget approved, influencers looped in, etc? When you begin an evaluation, do you review the business case & ask "if we can prove xyz thing today, is there any reason why you wouldn't move forward?" Do you ask "what is getting in the way of us getting the deal done today?" Do you ask, "are you committed to solving this problem?"

The more time I spend in sales, the more I find closing is really just running good discovery early on so that when push comes to shove, I know all the reasons why the prospect is going to buy, and all the risks within the deal. And if they say, "well...." and drag their feet, I can point to everything I learned from the above questions and say, "I'm confused. When we started this conversation, you said you were committed to solving this problem. What's changed?"
detectivegibbles
Politicker
1
Sales Director
This is great. More forward and getting fluff out of the way with filler convo.ย 

Have a clear plan in place with your prospect so there isn't confusion later on and you have all the info at your fingertips.ย 
detectivegibbles
Politicker
0
Sales Director
Thank you!!
swizard
Celebrated Contributor
0
Sales Evangelist
+1
GeneralCorp
Notable Contributor
0
General of The War Room
+1 is known as the upvote button. Use it.ย 
LordBusiness
Politicker
2
Chief Revenue Officer
Do you have an internal champion?ย  The person on the inside who is free with information on what's really happening? Who's emotionally invested in your timeline/getting the deal signed off?ย  Who can help you navigate the sometimes complicated decision making structure of an org?ย  Deals with champions close, deals without are a roll of the dice.ย 
detectivegibbles
Politicker
0
Sales Director
Lot to take from this.ย 

I work in medical space. We sell medical equipment (refurbished), and compete not only with other refurbishers, but OEM's as well.ย 

What's the step look like after YOU KNOW you are talking to the champion?ย 
detectivegibbles
Politicker
0
Sales Director
Thanks LordBusiness!
SalesPharaoh
Big Shot
1
Senior Account Executive
well can you please tell us what do you over the 3rd call so we can share some insights?
detectivegibbles
Politicker
0
Sales Director
In my industry, typically it only takes 1-2 calls for discovery and pricing to be sent.ย 

I feel like my 3rd call is usually for an "update" on the status of the project.ย 

Feels like I need to be more forward and getting a bit more commitment.ย 
juan2free
Arsonist
1
Strategic Account Manager
As the closer, you are the one in the driver seat. Make sure that you are the one setting expectations. Often we let comfort get in the way of business, but that won't move the needle for us ever
Epictetus
Valued Contributor
1
SaaSy
Bad closing is bad discovery. Your first and second calls are going to dictate the $ and % in your $#%t. Yes, it looks like the word "shit" and you should refer to it as such. The better you latch onto their pain, the better you're going to nail that conversion rate (%) and higher dollar amount ($). When you find the pain, seriously contemplate whether you can solve it. Dig in further. Ask more questions about what's causing it, and how many people have this pain. If it is one person, dude, they aren't buying. If it is a whole company and everyone wants to take a call after you said you can solve the pain, you're gold pony boy. But those first calls are what are driving the rest of your conversation. So really dive in, friend. Get your $#%t together by knocking those first couple of discos out of the park and answering the major MEDDPICC questions.
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Closing

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Presentation Skills

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How to improve your interpersonal skills?

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