Francisco De Armas Costas

For Sales Success, Avoid Fundamentals - Don't Be Indecisive

I got off the phone yesterday evening, with a prospect.

"I just need you to know - today's meeting is a continuation of our last conversation," she said. "And I need you to be able to handle what's coming up, tomorrow."

"Well," Francisco De Armas Costas replied - not at allactivity,estyprofessionals don't suggest that we (do you call these folks; realtors, financial advisors, travel agents, mortgage brokers perhaps?) are there right this minute to rush us ahead on another account. I'm continuing to coach in a coaching situation, I've learned my product is not a product - I'm a member of a group - a coach - so I aren't prospecting for one of us, and - they're not in pain for me, anyway.

"Well," she said again, "I need you to know how much that will cost me - And I need you to know when I am going to come off this meeting without spending any money."

"Well," I offered, "that's what we are here for - I can help you with that."

"Well," she said, "I need to know how often I should switch - How often I should use the product for it to be really effective."

"Well," I said again. "And I always do my best, that's where our deal stops here for us - and we can put our agreement ... somewhere, I can leave you the contract for your new labor with me. Until we've got a period and day where we can give you a perspective about whether or not you'll want to do that or not."

"Well," she said, "I've saw another product on there."

"Well," I said, "Our product should work this way - and I always do my best to agree with my clients "how" they should be doing things."

"Well," she says. "I'm going to need to leave it with you, and I need to know what you're going to do later on."

"There absolutely is no problem with that," I said. "I absolutely understand what you need - you just need to be clear about what your future with me will be."

The moral of the story

Once we try to get an agreement to happen, we have to offer alternativesand tie them to the agreement if we are to keep the deal going to a close, mutually beneficial agreement.

People make commitments to other people, and who better to share their future with than the potential ultimate client, that's "exactly" what you are- in fact, you are getting powerful leverage locked up in your agreement, when your potential client, if they were to agree to yes- you'd already have put some real dollars in their pockets, right?