“Yes, let’s do it”.
He looks at me, and adds: “It’s a sale!”
I smile, pause, and tell him: “It’s not a sale until the money is there”.
But no, he tells me he wants my help, and he’ll send the payment.
In the end, it didn’t happen – it wasn’t the right moment for his business… and obviously, that’s fine by me. I’d never want anyone’s business unless it’s 100% the perfect moment for them.
But that moment, when a potential client tells you yes: that’s where it can go wrong SO easily.
When we hear a yes, we’re thrilled: a new client, new project, money coming your way… whoohoo!
Ah, yes. But there’s a difference between *saying* yes, and *doing* yes.
And if we as the seller confuse the two, we can easily screw up a sale.
If we get all excited and cheery, and ask for a credit card number right then and there, because we assume that they buyer is ready to *do* yes, all kinds of things can go wrong.
The buyer could sense neediness, or they might feel you’re moving too fast – too much, too soon – or they might need to address a few things before proceeding. Can be anything.
Of course when a client sends you money, or signs an actual contract, then yes: of course you should cheer. You’ve just landed a client, and you’ve got the payment to show for it, so by all means: buy yourself shoes or champagne or whatever spells ‘reward’ for you.
But very often, at the moment that someone says yes, your best reaction is to slow down, and actually question the yes.
“I’m happy to hear it, but before we move forward, let’s look at this again.
“Are you 100% certain that this offer, in this configuration, at this time, is what you need?
“Is there anything that would make it a no? Because it’s really important that you make this decision 100% convinced, and all in – so whatever issue or doubt you’d like to address first, this is a good time to do it”.
Question the yes.
Take the pressure off, slow down.
Give your buyer a chance to stop and review their motivation.
Create space for them to reflect, review, and raise issues that haven’t been addressed properly yet.
The more you slow down the sale at the end, the more you enable the buyer to drive it forward.
On another note:
I’m building an app that coaches you on working your pipeline, moving your deals forward – and closing them faster and at better rates.
It’s called SalesFlow Coach, and we’re scheduled for beta-release in June 2022.
Register here to be notified when it goes live.
