Get Dumped Early - and Sell More

When I was dating, I hated getting dumped. Even when I knew deep down that she was right in wanting to split, I’d fight it and try to save the relationship...because I hated getting dumped.

A lot of sales relationships are like that.

If the client voices obstacles – even significant ones – the tendency is to defer them as long as possible in the hope that as the relationship grows the client’s obstacles will disappear. Most sales processes leave ‘overcoming obstacles’ as the penultimate step – further entrenching the principle of leaving the difficult stuff until as late as possible.

This is wrong. To build a viable client relationship in today’s environment takes so much effort, the attention should be on identifying the obstacles early – so you can make a realistic assessment of your chances of success. You may still decide to take the risk, but at least you’re doing it with your eyes open. Think about how much time you spend on proposals that came to nothing. Imagine if you could take just part of that time and put it towards prospecting?

What you should be doing is introducing topics in the early part of the relationship that unearth any potential obstacles further down the track. This will have one of two outcomes:

1. You don’t get the sale – which you probably wouldn’t have got anyway, it just would have taken a lot longer.

2. You win the sale – and it happens in a faster time because you have advanced the process.

Either way, you impress the client with your integrity and initiative.

So, get dumped early. It’s good for the relationship!