Our founder, Steve Marx, used to say that things should be no longer than they need to be, but also no shorter. Applying that to the sales process, it should take no longer than it needs to be effective, but also no shorter.
In the sales process, some prospects are traveling toward you; others are traveling away. It would seem that we should just pitch and close the ones that are traveling quickly toward us, right?
Steve’s advice would be that it should take no longer and no shorter than we need to accomplish our objective. In sales, that’s achieving their business objectives.
The Speed of Light in Your Sales Process
Let’s look at some examples of speed in our daily life.
If you and I are both running toward each other at 5 mph, our speed relative to each other is 10mph. That’s classical physics and 5 + 5 = 10 seems pretty logical. And if I’m running towards you at 5mph, but you are running away from me at 5mph, our relative speed is zero, 5 – 5 = 0, and I won’t ever reach you.
Now, let’s look at the speed of light.
The speed of light is a constant. All the things we just said about relative speed don’t apply. I know, it sounds wacko, it is, and it baffles scientists too. No matter how fast you are traveling toward or away from light, it’s still coming at you at 186,000 mph. It defies logic.
I want you to defy logic in your sales process and be the constant in your sales process.
Sometimes you will have a prospect coming at you fast. They know exactly what they want, and their money is in their hand. You should quickly close the deal, right? Well, maybe.
Here’s why you want to remain constant:
- That quick sale may not be what the client really needs.
- That quick sale may not have a chance of achieving their desired business results.
- That quick sale may be leaving money on the table, lots of it.
- That sale may create a client that says your product doesn’t work!
Back to the speed of light. I want you to remember that if the prospect is moving toward you (or away from you), that you are the CONSTANT.
You have a PROCESS.
That process, ours is the Sales Accelerator, will move you closer to a successful close. Or it will move your closer to knowing they are not a good prospect in the first place. But you need to work your process.
Being a constant and working your process does not mean you can’t move fast. You can move quickly through the steps, but you don’t skip steps; you don’t miss the objectives.
Not skipping steps like these:
- Identify – You’ve made sure this is the right fit for your product and services.
- Connect – You’re connecting with the actual decision-maker, the one who can say yes.
- Discover – You made sure you understood the prospect’s desired business results.
- Advise – You made sure the prospect was involved in the process and the solution.
- Close – You created and presented a proposal with no surprises.
- Grow – You are implementing the solution and sharing the results.
If you follow this process with the prospects moving quickly towards you, you will have the best chance of closing them for the right reasons, at the ideal investment, and with a solution that will get results and renewals.
If you follow this process with the prospects moving away from you, your diligence and professionalism will move you closer to them, or you will find out quickly if you should be pursuing them in the first place.
Work your sales process at the speed of light. Be a steady, reliable force for your prospects and clients. Move as fast as you are able — but be consistent in driving your sales process.
