Canucks No Longer Schmucks. My take on the American Debt Crisis

Believe you can and you're halfway there ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Q:  VinayKG of Bangledore via Twitter DM (Direct Message):  Hey, Can you give me your expert opinion towards US recession towards end of this year? I heard there going to be recession again.

A:   Whew, what a question Vinay!  I am not sure I would consider myself an expert on the US recession, however, I did ask readers to post questions and I will answer.  Thus, I can certainly give my personal opinion on what I see from the northern border, Canada, as cousins to our US neighbours and friends considered by most in the world.

I certainly can relate to the question in the first place.  Many countries, businesses and people rely on the United States to be a strong country.    In Canada, many head offices are located in the United States.  I remembered an advisor several years ago recommend that if you want to predict what is going to happen, just watch what is going on at Wall Street.  Some would say from that advice, I have accurately predicted the domino effect for dominant leaders like Quebecor in their print division shortly after 911 based on reading about all the catalogue cancellations written up on Wall Street.  A couple of years later, they were shutting down successful operations.   It seems to always come down to money, interestingly.

Since I do a lot of driving travel, I’m glued to CNN, Fox News, etc. on Sirius Satellite.  Why not listen to what is going on than just empty space music radio?  It’s my idea of multi-tasking since I’m interested in what is going on in the world.

Think of Canada and the US relationship as that of siblings …  the United States has been like an older brother to us, who we look up to and rely upon for many things.   All of a sudden, the younger sibling starts to grow up, form opinions of its own after absorbing everything that they’ve learned and applying unique ideas, stretching itself, spreading its wings and soaring to new heights on its own.   Canada has a dollar, the US has a dollar.  The Cdn dollar has been below the US for several years.  Fast forward, through numerous events, our dollar is stronger than our cousins and our banking system is one of the strongest is the world.   Sounds to me like the younger sibling learned a lot from its older brother, made some improvements and moved on.

But, this isn’t answering Vinay’s answer …. yet.

I like President Obama.  I think of another President that I truly admired even though I was probably at a self-absorbed age when he was in power and read/learned about him long after because after leaving politics he has had the opportunity to allow his true character show through … Jimmy Carter.

I wouldn’t want President Obama’s job.  You couldn’t pay me enough.  In fact, sidebar thought, what is it that even Donald Trump who has fame, power in his own right and wealth doesn’t have it all until he has what is considered the ultimate prestige of being the President of the United States.

I relate to President Obama what many, thousands, millions of us go through.  You apply for a job, you’re given a job description, a salary yet it isn’t until you actually start the job do you REALLY discover what all the challenges are.  Oftentimes those challenges are the budget is a lot higher than you thought, or you were so mesmerized by the company or title, you didn’t really anticipate what was in store.  Then, there is this and that employee or boss who has this or that influence in making your job a living nightmare.  On top of it all, it is a bigger mess than you realized from the incumbent that you have to deal with before you can even go on to doing before any of those great ideas you presented at the interview.

It gets worse.  Your team doesn't play well together!  Your management has its own ideas and its own agenda.  Then, there are all those promises that you believed in, that vision created to get the job done ... all before you had any idea how dysfunctional the group was.


Matters are much graver than you imagined.  Your budget is blown, you’re up to your eyeballs in the red (i.e. China), you’re competitors are ten times more aggressive than you realized (Republicans), and your employees (Nation) are restless, while confidence has nose-dived from your customers (voters).

Do I think that this mess is going to be cleaned up anytime soon?  No.  Why?  Because as an outsider looking in, it looks to me more like positioning for the 2012 election is more important than cleaning the house.  Metaphorically speaking that is of course.  Or maybe not.  There is a crisis at hand and everyone seems to be more concerned with taking a stand than fixing the issues.    I like Obama.  He made “compromises” and that still wasn’t quite good enough.  A leader who makes compromises in corporate worlds is called a leader.  A President who makes compromises (think back to Jimmy Carter) is considered weak or possibly waivers. 

I’m getting closer to answering Vinay.  Perhaps I already am.  If the US cannot fix this problem, how can they move back to being the power it has been?  It is starting to look embarrassing to its cousins to the north.  After all, we are used to bickering and lobbying and disagreement because we’ve had a minority government until now.  It’s amazing how much smoother things go when the people “vote” confidence in its government. 

The power to fix the mess seems to me to be in the hands of the party who made the mess to begin with.  Is it just me, or doesn’t everyone else see it that way?   The corporate bail outs, lifting the debt ceiling, fighting competitors (foreign countries) is like giving marketing or research and development carte blanche spending power.

In the corporate world, you would not be allowed to squander money away fighting the competition.   In the corporate world, accountabilities skyrocket when profit isn’t being made.  Usually, those that spend more time pointing fingers than fixing the problems are fired.    Most corporations would love it if their customers could vote for them to stay in their jobs.  In the corporate world don’t the shareholders truly overpower customers because they look at the bottom line?  Don’t they analyse whether or not they’re getting return on their investment?  Who are the shareholders in the US?  Could it be China who finances the corporation?  I doubt it, because as long as they get their payments and earn the interest, it could continue to rack up for all they care.

Vinay, you’ve been patient … and so have the readers if they’ve stayed with us this long.  Will the US go further into a recession by year end?  Absolutely, definitely, you betcha if they continue on the path so far!   In many instances, the questions get asked in the same context as a department employees asking its manager if they should pay attention to rumours that there is an impending merger or takeover that may risk their jobs. 

What President Obama is trying to do is keep the organization together. The only difference I see between a corporation and this messy US government is …. they haven’t brought in consultants or arbitrators!!!  Where are the HR or conflict resolution professionals?

In a corporation, or even a divorce, they bring in mediators.  That is what the US needs -- an objective third party who has no hidden agenda whatsoever.  Better if it’s someone who can look at the financial and the operational side of things.  Like Canada perhaps?  However, as in many dysfunctional environments, admitting there is a problem is the first step towards a solution.   In the current US climate, it appears to me, as a humble, non-expert, nobody is willing to admit there is a problem.  Until then, we will all watch in dismay, the decline of a great nation.  Not by any other person, corporation or country’s hand but their own.

My friend, Vinay, even if the US can get it together, it doesn’t mean they won’t go into a recession because there are too many elements going against them.  However, it isn’t a guarantee.  Yet, one thing is for sure.  If they don’t, it is more than likely it will go deeper into a recession.

Hunter or Farmer: What type of sales professional do you want?

Clever people will recognize & tolerate nothing but cleverness.

 ~Henri Frederic Amiel

I am often asked how do you really find a top performing sales professional?  What characteristics or qualities can you readily identify that will ensure you’ve got a winner?  That takes me back to what my own sales manager advised me when I was replacing him and asked to a top performing sales role to my first “gig” as a sales manager:   “Hire’em, train’em, send’em out, then watch’em like a hawk!”

I wish it were as simple.  Looking back now,  I can clearly see what mistakes I made when I started and find it easy to identify new or bad managers based on repeating those same mistakes.  Good and bad managers will be left for another blog while I tackle this weighty question:  How do you reduce your risk of making a bad hire in sales?

Initially, you have to understand what type of sales professional you looking for.   Most organizations will say they're looking for "Hunters" and not order takers.  What they mean is someone who can drum up new business.  They can be titled “Business Development Representative” or simply “Sales Representative”.  They are more easily identified when you take the time to understand the Hunter mentality:

• Short sales cycles
• High call rate/activity (they will look and sound busy)
• Transactional sales:  Find’em and Close’em and Move on
• Someone else takes care of the follow through (deliverables, implementation), follow up and customer satisfaction
• They should be armed with lots of marketing pieces and tools to sell
• They will rarely make formal presentations or get involved with RFPs
• The call types are usually small to medium-sized businesses
• Networking to them is to gather as many contacts as possible
• They don’t need leads, but appreciate being fed leads once in a while
• They tend to turnover quicker because what attracts them to hunting may also go hand in hand with becoming bored with doing the same thing over and over again.
• Hunters aren’t as respected amongst colleagues because others tend to have to do clean up from the “sell at all costs” mentality.
• Make sure they are base salary + commission – reward based on results
• They will thrive in a competitive environment – post stats or sales scoreboards – that motivates them to see themselves on the top
• Don’t expect them to be a team player in the office because their game is winning sales, not fans
• They excel at “feature dumps” and may be more technically savvy with every gadget known to speed up sales
• They may be annoyed by too many meetings or impatient with training that takes them out of the hunt
• What paperwork?  You want them to make calls right?  Enter information into a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system – yeah, right, whatever you say … then back out they go.
• They may drive you crazy when you have to constantly remind them to complete administrative tasks.  On time?  When’s that?
• There will be several fish stories and a few whales that got away
• Research for leads is scanning newspapers or web Career Section
• In when the boss is, lunch with "prospects" and out of the office at 5

If you’re still gungho on taking on a Hunter, you should have a plan on how you will take care of existing customers or new customers once they’re signed.  For the sake of clarity, we’ll call them Customer Service.  Here are questions that should be addressed:

•  Are these personnel trained to handle complex issues?
• If existing customers are your bread and butter, should they be left in the hands of someone who may not be your most experienced employee?  
• Is there an elevation process to move up quickly to solve issues?
•  Does someone proactively call on customers before issues come up?
• Who monitors your company's service level agreements are being met? 
• Does anyone personally call on the your customer's place of business?
• How do you promote new product offerings to existing customers?
• Do you identify customers levels?  By revenue?  How they do business? Or frequency?   i.e. Business to Business (B2B),  mid-level, major accounts or enterprise.
• Who can keep track of whether competitors are swimming around your customers, low-balling to get in the door, and you only find out after they've already left by the donut crumbs (zeros) on the revenue sheet?
• If you bog your sales reps down with administrative tasks, writing their own proposals, composing RFPs from scratch, doing their own estimating, etc. etc. is it fair to call them a Hunter?

What often paralyses organizations is when you point out  “take care of your customers and your customers will take care of the bottom line” ...  or,  it takes 85% more effort to attract a new customer than it takes to keep existing customers happy.  This is where there is a disconnect.  Organizations want to pay someone commission to find the new customer and then have them move on to find more.   That is fine as long as you understand:

• How do you define new business?  New customers or net new revenue?
• Who manages the relationship with the customer?
• How are you going to take care of new customers once they sign on?
• Do you know whether the customer bought the person selling them just as much as the organization, service, product?
• At what stage or how do they transition from the rep to someone else?
•  How complicated is the sales process?  
• Is pre- and post-sales support required?
• How long are the sales cycles?
• Is your offering transactional business that churns quickly?
• Do you support sales efforts with captivating marketing or sales tools like brochures, samples or demos?
• How accurately are the territories aligned?
• Are you giving kudos to a rep who carries a $750,000 territory and increases new business by 10% and not to another rep who carries $1.5 million but only increases new business by 5%?

If you want your sales reps to do the hunting while the organization takes  care of the business they sell, that is completely fine.  However, depending on the answers above, sales cycle, ongoing involvement required, you may hire an Account Executive or Account Manager.  They come packaged looking like a  “Farmer” with most or all of the following attributes:

• Builders of strong and lasting relationships
• Not as high activity as their Hunter counterparts; there is a balance between hunting versus taking care of existing customers; more of latter
• They will be thorough because they care about their reputation
• They can be annoying by being actively concerned and want to be involved during any implementation process
• They will do follow up, know everyone and everything about the customer
• They’ll research a prospect, understand who’s who, what’s before they pick up the phone or enter the premises
• Networking to them is within the context of their customers' industry so they can attend their events, see them in their own environment, with their peers and learn more about the customer's business
• Yes, they appear to spend time doing pretty power points customized to who/what they’re presenting
• They rely on referrals more than cold calls, because they’re warm and a testiment to their hard work and reputation
• The new business  may not be from brand new customers, but from brand new individuals or departments within their customer base
• There will be little clean up from over promising and under delivering
• They will have  ideas on how to make the life of “their” customers easier
•  They won’t turnover, as long as you recognize the value they bring
• Don’t criticize their sales efforts, new business means new revenue 
•  Paperwork will usually be detailed, updates whether you want it or not
•  CRMs are conscientiously updated because they want to track and remember each customer as though each one is their only one (that is how they will be treated)
• They won’t mind meetings as long as it is discussing their customers, resolving issues, coming up with innovative ideas to manage customers better.
• You may wonder if that rep leaves if that customer will leave with them?
• They will be more of a team player because they’re open to learning better ways to retain their customers or new avenues to create revenue from their warm pool.
• Chances are while everyone else is sharing whale tales or discussing sports scores, they're at their customer's office or working at their desk; they'd rather not discuss it until its done
• You probably don't notice what time they start in the morning, unless it seems late, failing to notice dark circles under their eyes

This sometimes circles back to organizations rethinking the original complaint that they want hunters.   Many sales managers fall short on this area.  Especially new sales managers.  Ask yourself:  as long as revenue is growing, what is the problem with feeding off existing customers?  The predisposition is to expect new customers.  Many executives love the war stories of Hunters and think that they must be doing extraordinary. What is wrong  with new revenue channels from existing customers?  Aren’t the results the same?  The challenge being, you can't rely on existing customers in the long run.

As a matter of fact, most end up with Farmers because they actually prefer the behaviours of a Farmer.    They are easier to manage.  They don’t turnover as much, nor do they strain the organization resources as much as a hunter does.  

By now, you may be irritated.  What you really want is new revenue.  Well, then you have to decide what that new revenue will look like and how it will be managed once it arrives.

Often times,  the people doing the pre-screening are not sales people.  Unfortunately, the mediocre sales pros are sometimes better at selling themselves than producing results.  The Hunter is who HR tends to gravitate towards if they're pressured to hire someone that can sell.   In some circles, Hunters can be stereotyped as “bottom feeders”.  From my perspective, if you're not careful, they'll tell you what you want to hear then afterwards eat your bottom line.

Personally, I’d opt for the person who is attentive, appears to be somewhat humble, and asks great questions.  I understand that high turnover in sales actually detracts from creating revenue streams.  Many short-lived sales people result from being fakes, not being able to add value or deliver results.  I get it that there are ones that may actually look like a Farmer but still have the Hunter instincts.  That's when you have  found Utopia.

How does Social Media fit into the traditional sales funnel?

"Success doesn't come to you, you go to it."

                                       ~ Marva Collins

Q:   How does social media fit into the traditional sales funnel?

A:   Social Media has not evolved far enough to help sales, other than being used as a tool for communicating, networking, gathering knowledge and at the bottom of the ladder -- generating leads.   Unfortunately, far too many misuse Twitter or Facebook to spam, broadcast, a deal or sale.  That was my initial perception and can turn someone off immediately.  However, social media pros are using it to learn, promote, educate, and/or communicate.  

When I ask executives I know professionally about their social media involvement, most say that they are on Linked In but rarely on Twitter.  A few are on Facebook  for friends and family.  Others claim they have a Facebook Page for Business, under someone on their team's responsibility, usually IT or Marketing.

Blogs are a great way to drive "return" traffic to one's site if it is done as a way of educating customers, establishing expertise.   The following chart from Nielsen Research illustrates a 43% increase in Social Media:

I  had a long conversation with my sister recently whereby my brother-in-law has a successful furnace cleaning business (for our Canadian igloos right?)that has expanded to air conditioners and humidifiers.  My advice was to develop his company website, include a blog where he can write about what he is a walking encyclopaedia on.  For example, here were a few ideas I gave:

·        How furnaces can impact your clean air;

·        What happens to health if you don't clean your furnace?

·        How often should you have your furnace cleaned?

·        What are the best or safest ones and why?

·        When should you replace your furnace?

o   When it breaks down?

o   Every 5, 10, 15 years?

VOILA!  If that information or blog happens to be on a site that sells the type of service or products people are researching before they buy, chances are they will trust that expertise greater than another that simply has a "Testimonials Page" and should generate a lead.   Sadly, most organizations don't include testimonials never mind White Papers or Case Studies.  You probably get my drift by now.  Use Social Media as a conduit to “share” information, communicate and educate.   

Today, the best use for Social Media for sales is to network with other like-minded tWeeps or to access knowledge.   One of the most critical steps in sales that rookies don't understand or others cut corners on is the research phase -- what you do before you pick up the phone or approach a prospect or inherited customer.  Social Media is an excellent vehicle to source information. 

HR Professionals no longer simply “Google” you.  Now, they will look you up on Linked In and check out your Facebook page.  You should always have this in the back of your mind: every single day you are online, you are selling yourself.  What you put out there is open to scrutiny and will determine whether a prospect will do business with you or if you will get hired.

People often misunderstand that Social Media’s primary purpose is not just for those looking for work or consultants broadcasting their know-how.   Take time to learn how you can sift through the clutter to find ways to use it to your advantage – selling or otherwise.   There are multitudes of on-line webinars and networking events available.  Most are free (with a sales pitch somewhere, the weak ones more obvious). 

Promote your Customer Appreciation, Open House, Product Launch event using Social Media.   Invitees can see who has been invited, who has agreed to attend, who has declined.   It requires more innovation and creativity.  I wouldn’t suggest you forego printed invites – they’re still important the higher up the ladder your invitee is. 

Face to face will always be best!  Just don’t ignore the fact that Social Media does make it easier for people to hide.  Those prospects may decide whether or not they will do business with you or meet with you just by clicking your name!   

  

How far is too far in sales ethics?

Q: In competitive sales, sometimes work ethics take a backseat... you are compelled to do "certain" things. Would love to hear ur view on this.

 Kaleem, UAE

A:  What a great question Kaleem, thank you.


Just by having to ask the question may indicate that you are not comfortable with the "certain" things you are being compelled to do or address with your prospects or customers. 



Wouldn't I love to sit in on your sales calls to understand the hidden message or what you are being asked to do to make a sale.  I joked with one of my favorite managers once, as a woman, that I would fall short of prostitution to get a sale.  It was always good for a chuckle because he was male and also thought that was funny, adding that I was one of the few that didn't need to.



While I can certainly empathize with your question, you most likely have your answer.  If you have to ask yourself the question, never mind someone else, chances are your instinct is telling you it stinks.



I speak from experience in the past 24 hours, I hit a landmark sale,  up 1300% year over year in this particular segment.  To emphasize this discussion, while we were doing the paperwork I asked this customer if they got freebies based on their position.  The answer was no.  It was a fair sale, there was more negotiation than I would have liked (every sales pro prefers a smooth close) but because it was also big, there had to be some give and take from both sides to "seal the deal".



I share this because it is that old saying:  people buy from people.  Remember how they say that you tend to be attracted to a lifemate that represents the gender of the parent they represent?  It is my firm belief that people tend to buy from people or organizations that they share similar cultural and core values.    

I've never "done lunch" to win business.  In fact, many customers I don't do lunch with.  The rare times I do is because something has been earned, you share common ground with.   They're someone who I want to spend time with outside of the office in a more social setting to get to know them better.  That doesn't mean I will invite them to my next family BBQ.  There is that fine line between business friendship and friendship ... you can have both yet far nicer when you can distinguish between the two.  I do agree that informal setting encourages information to pour out.   I do try to test the limits formally or informally, on what information I can access -- i.e. the health of the organization, its culture, how happy employees are, what the real chain of command is, who their boss is, what role they play in decision, how long they've been there, their career, their background, education, family .. it all tells me what I can expect from the relationship.  You have to earn the right to ask deeper questions mind you!

At the beginning of each day, before you even put your sunny sales game face on, it is you and the mirror.  Ask yourself what limit those "certain things" are.  Granted it is easier to have your organization set those limits for you.  That way, you can blame your boss or company policy.   Each and every time you sit before a customer, you should have a clear understanding of what your own personal limits are to make a sale. 

I've had organizations that I've sold for that encourage this and that.  However, it is myself that decides which limits I will engage.   I'm a decent golfer, so I've done that ... but only after a relationship has been established aka a sale.  The best piece of advice I ever received in this corner was "spend their money" .. don't spend "our" money to win them.


Call me seasoned, but I know that my biggest and best customers have high integrity and wouldn't expect me to compromise my values because they see the value in what I offer.  I won't share information, other than generic, on competitors I work with to each other.  Often, if I'm asked a point blank question, I will simply state that if the tables were turned, they'd appreciate I uphold their own confidentiality.  You will find that this builds trust.  Trust is the number one attribute buys want from their sales representative, miles ahead of product knowledge.  I stand behind the belief that the best customers in the long run, and end up being the biggest sales, are from the ones that don't compromise my honesty or integrity.  I want to look at each great customer square in the eye, like I do in the mirror every morning, and not blink. 

Those same customers that make unreasonable demands are telling you something.  There is a reason for it.  Your job is to ask a ton more questions to figure out what it is.  Some cultures perhaps will only feel satisfied if they've bartered.  However, those that are savvy, appreciate all the hard work you've put behind presenting a propsal that appears to fit like a glove to their needs.  They'll forget about the bargaining because they'll want a sales pro that understands their business more.

The customers that don't operate that way, enjoy toying with you until the next victim (er, sales pro) comes along.   Chances are they don't see the value in what you are offering, only in the fun in the bargaining or toying.  It tends to signal to me that I'm not dealing with the decision maker.  Some can smell a new sales rep a mile away.  That sales rep may not be new to sales, just new to them or to the organization they are representing.  They are going to test how far they can push.  If you have to give in, it could be a free lunch or tickets to a football game.    Be sure you use that to your advantage to get as much information out of them because chances are their guard is down, you're in a social setting.  Turn it around and put it to good use ~ ask more questions for goodness sake!

For the past 10-15 years, any organization I've worked for has had me sign Code of Ethics and Confidentiality Agreements.  That isn't surprising because I work for organizations that take their own core values seriously.  If you work for an organization that compromises your values, and wants you to win at all costs, it may not be the best fit.  The one executive I did work that who disguised shrewd business savvy with unscrupilous business practice, causing me to move on, does not maintain the relationships I still have long after those contacts ceased to be clients.


I will repeat myself .. based on my own experience.  My biggest sales and best customers are those that recognize a win/win relationship, compromise when there are hurdles, and actively participate in resolving issues.  After all, you worked hard to address their business needs, you want them to succeed, they're your cheerleader, in your corner, rooting you on.


Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

 ~Albert Einstein

Hope this helps somewhat Kaleem .... I wish you well, JM

***


Do you have a sales situation or business question that you'd like to ask?  Drop me a note under comments and I will do my best to answer.  Until then, Happy Selling!

Social Media Videos have changed how we sell and buyers buy

Long before Social Media Videos, television and the movies were our best source for information on sales.  Nowadays, you can gain access to videos that make us learn, think or laugh at the sale profession.  Amazingly, it was only a few years ago that this video had an entirely different meaning than it does today: 

So you still think social media is a fad?  You may think twice after taking at look at this video and the startling statistics.  With 1.5 million views since posting on You Tube May 2010, the data is already outdated.  Its  predeceasor with 2.8 views was less than a year old from July 2009 when it had to be updated. 

One of my favorite catches was how social media impacts sales: "listen first, sell second".  That isn't far off from what most sales pros know and rookies always hear.  Now, social media forces you to listen, otherwise you will be labeled as "spam" , blocked and forever lost.  Wouldn't a spam label be nice to have on our caller IDs during dinner by telemarketers?  What is interesting is the challenge to be more clever in less time across more channels while attention is fleeting and today's news is now mere minutes ago.

Do you want to sell something?

You may want to seriously consider whether or not videos or social media should be an important part of your marketing or sales plan. Since  Old Spice's commercial's original launch in 2006, it has is the most successful viral campaign.  Recognized as the #1 Viewed (26 million) and Uploaded (210 million) it has caused  mini-revolution with amost 273,000 subscribers.   I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the boardroom when the idea first pitched.

How about learning?

By just plugging in this search can learn just about anything.  From the #1 dog training tips (17.5 million views) how to do crunches for 6-pack abs (17 million views) to how to play Guitar Hero (8 million views).

I've shown Glenngarry Glen Ross to sales teams on more than one occasion to create dialogue on selling.    It also showcases the different characters on a sales team from the top salesperson, to the rep who relies mainly on leads, to the narcicist Alec Baldwin character. 

The following is my favorate of late.  This scene gives a great example that in sales, it isn't always the questions being asked, but how they are comminicated.   There is also the forgotten art of the "pause" sales technique that is classic.

There are a multitude of great sales training videos on You Tube.  However, call me lazy ... or smart.  My favorite website to watch sales videos is www.bnet.com.  After all, they've taken the time to surf or provide many great ones so that I don't have to.  Oh, and if you haven't figure it out already ...... the best, funniest, greatest of anything tends to be NOT!

Not convinced yet whether social media will help or hamper your sales efforts?  Here is one last look at what sharing has come to:

Hit the Road Jack: How do you decide it is time to move on from a prospect?

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals

~ Anonymous

Q:  What do you do when you’ve done everything in your power to win the sale and your buyer seems to all of sudden be stalling at actually making a decision? 

A:  You probably didn’t do your homework at the beginning of the process so now you have to do some backtracking.  Regardless, have the confidence to be direct and ask the customer what may be preventing them from making a decision to move forward today?  There could be several reasons for the stall:

1. Your contact is not as high in the organization as they led you to believe
2. Their role is the quote gathering when someone else makes the final decision
3. Who you are selling to is not able to make the final decision and, to save face, they don't want to tell you that

 Hesitation in itself should provide you with clues:

1.  Ask direct questions to uncover why they are hesitating;
2. Perhaps there is another proposal on the table and you are just there to reinforce that their decision is a good one
3. They have a current supplier and they just want to make sure they are being treated fairly
4. You may want to move on tactfully, while keeping the door open for when they are in the market.

If you are a true sales professional, you aren’t dividing and conquering.  You should remain realistic that some just aren’t ready to buy.  You have to determine why they aren’t ready to buy by asking the right questions.  Ultimately, there are questions most experienced sales pros know to ask  at the beginning of the sales process, rather than scrambling at the end when you forecasted as a done deal, or thought it was time to close.

Here are some suggested questions you should ask at the beginning of the sales cycle in the preliminary qualification stage in the sales process:

1.      When are they planning to buy?

2.      What are the steps in deciding how they will buy?

3.      Who is involved with the decision making?

4.      Do they have a specific budget in mind?

5.      Is there specific criteria to determine who/what they will buy from?

6.     Who do they currently buy from and why? 

7.    Is there a specific reason why they are in the market right now? 
8.    How will their business be impacted if they change from suppliers? 
9.    What business issues are they trying to solve? 
10.  Perfect case scenario, what do they really want?
11.  What will it take to earn their business?

Answers from all of the above responses provide clues to you on what the next steps are.  You may have simply overshot the close date or  too optimistic on timelines.  Customers drive the close, not sales reps, even less management who are trying to meet quotas.

If you have done your homework and feel that you completely satisfied the aforementioned questions then perhaps the stall is coming from left field.  You have then earned the right to ask direct questions or find out what you may not have addressed for them to make a decision today? 

Their response may give insight on how you decide to move on - either to the next step or period:

1.      Handle the obstacle that surfaces by asking the direct question,

2.      Ask what you can do to help address that obstacle

3.      Were you a benchmark against current supplier, or price comparison

4.      Decide to move on tactfully yet agree to keep in touch

I don’t want to kick you while you are already down.  Especially, if you’ve already told your partner to plan that big vacation based on the sale.  However, most sales pros sense when they are being stalled and can avoid last minute appearance of “buyer’s remorse” by asking direct questions up front at the earliest qualification stage.

Experienced sales pros also keep up a positive, professional image no matter how deflated they may feel or how much they counted on that particular sale.  They know, that by leaving a positive experience, they will be the very first person that will be contacted whenever the next opportunity comes along .... because they are optimistic realists that know they do.  They don't give up, they're tenacious, committed sales pros.  They will review every step in the process and ask themselves what questions they should have asked, what signs they ignored, how they can do better the next time.  Great sales pros distinguish themselves by knowing there is a next time and optimistic by how much they learned by avoiding the same mistakes.  Everyone makes mistakes, the best are the ones who review the mistakes and take tactical steps to avoid them the next time .... there is always a next time!