Buying signals are gestures, actions that are there for everyone to see. You MUST listen with your eyes as well as your ears. It is a gift you were born with. But it is a gift that only keeps on giving if you practice it. Forget closing. Think Asking. Ask for a commitment. Be clear. Keep it simple. But ask.

If You Don’t ASK. You are doomed in sales

He Missed The Signals

I’m about to tell you a true story. It will seem unbelievable to some. But, to many of you, it will hit a nerve. I want you to take note. John, our real-life character was following many parts of the Sales Process. John’s process was almost perfect. But…

Strong Signal. No Antennae

John is an experienced salesperson. You all know a John. He is likeable. He is reliable. He doesn’t make waves. He is a steady ship. John has missed his sales targets for the last five years.
And yet on many levels, the sales meeting I’m about to tell you about could have been considered a success. Or at least all of John’s actions leading up to the sales meeting.

John had qualified the sales opportunity. No doubt about that. All of the Decision Makers were there.
The potential client hit the sweet spot. They had money to spend. They had a need. A compelling pain point. And John knew he could help them solve it.
And the timing was perfect. It was a high-priority project for the client.
And they were meeting for the third time.

Now I’ve been selling for 30 years. Take it from me you know when someone is ready to buy. And they were ready. John didn’t know how to ask. Let me explain.

The meeting started positively. The CEO said that they had been impressed by what they had seen and heard. The Operations Director then spoke. “I have to agree it looks like a good fit”.
Everyone else in the room nodded in approval. No resistance.

The dreaded Tumbleweed moment in sales conversations.

But John went silent. The dreaded tumbleweed moment. And it was torture.
So, John did what he did best. He started to present his solution. But wait?
John, they have seen your presentation. Twice before.
They have read your proposal.
They have worked with you to overcome some of their concerns. You nailed all of those. Before.
You just need to ask them for the go-ahead. Just ASK.

 

 

But he waited, and he waited. And two hours and twenty-two minutes later. He was still waiting.

So picture the scene.

The CEO got bored and said he was leaving. His body language spoke for him. And the signals read “John you are annoying me now”.

“John, I don’t have time for this”.

“John I came here to conclude our business, not restart it”.

He had no more questions. Nobody had questions.
But two people were deep in thought. Busy responding to emails on their mobile phones.

John sensed something. But the fear gripped him. The fear of asking. You see if he asked. He might get the wrong answer. They might reject him. So continuing was his mechanism to avoid his fear.
Hey, John, nobody rejects you. They reject your ideas or solutions. So it isn’t personal.

And the longer he waited, the more he sabotaged himself.

The meeting ended abruptly. There was no warmth in the room. The mood was tense. People were frustrated.

Asking for a sales deals is easy. Yes, it is easy as “when would you like to get started”.
John could read the hundreds of sales books on closing. Clever tactics. But, John doesn’t need tactics. He needs to read the cues. For example,

The Pricing Question

When they asked John about price, he should have realised. It was a positive sign. It could be a signal to close. As a minimum, it was an opportunity to assess how serious they were.
John misread the question. And ran through all of his product features again.

The More Details Question

John here is another signal that they were engaged. The more detail signals an increased level of interest. Hey, John, just a tip. They didn’t mean another 25 minutes of detail.

The Delivery Question

When John was asked about delivery options. He could have said, “when would you want this delivered, next week, or the following week”?
But sadly John somehow found a way to complicate it. He left them with a question mark over their responsiveness.

The Non-Verbals

John when you listen with your eyes. You become an observer. You notice changes in body language. You should notice the obvious. Like people answering emails on their mobile phones. Or changes in the tone of voice from friendly to impatient.
Or what about the changes in arm position. From open and relaxed. To closed and guarded.
The signals were there John. You just didn’t see them.

John, you are an expert on your product. You can open up a sales deal like a sales leader. You can nurture a sales deal like an expert. But, you close like an amateur. And it is hurting you.

Key Takeaways
Buying signals are gestures, actions that are there for everyone to see. You MUST listen with your eyes as well as your ears. It is a gift you were born with. But it is a gift that only keeps on giving if you practice it.
Forget closing. Think Asking. Ask for a commitment. Be clear. Keep it simple. But ask.

Regards Ronan

Ronan is the “Sales Infrastructure Guy”.

Helping high growth tech companies build world-class sales systems and processes that scale.

Call me on +353(86) 7732201

Ronan Kilroy | Insthinktive Sales Leadership Ltd. | Blanchardstown, | Dublin 15, | Office 01 8220523

www.insthinktive.com

More Sales, More Consistently, In Less Time

Ready to transform your sales team?

Download free ebook

Archive