Sales … It’s as Easy as 1-2-3 (Part 2 of 2)

This posting is Part 2 of 2 of Peter Bruening's article. If you have not read Part 1, it will certainly benefit you to read it first. Peter, owner of The SellingPoints Group, Inc., and the author of The Power Guide to Supportive Selling does a great job in explaining the "basic 1-2-3" of sales. Here is Part Two.

In Part 1 of this article you were introduced to the importance of engaging in the 1-2-3 of sales success (Goals-Activity-Results) to create consistent sales results. Part 2 will describe how you can begin to do this for your business.

Every sales opportunity that you or your company engages in is also a goal. To be more accurate, every sales opportunity is a set of progressive goals. At the very beginning of the sales cycle, the goal is to schedule an initial meeting to discuss the customer’s situation. The next goal is to reach a point of agreement for the customer to consider buying your product or service. Finally, the next goal is to close the sale. Every sales opportunity moves through these three mini sales cycles: Prospecting, the Customer Interview, and Present & Close. That’s it. That’s all sales is. Here’s the real kicker. While I’d love to have you call me so that we could work together – that is, after all, how I make my living – I’m going to hand you the golden key for free. Just for reading this article, I will give you the golden key. It is this: Target dates drive activity which creates results. That’s the 1-2-3 of sales.

In sales, you must always, always, always have a next step that you are trying to achieve in each sales cycle. This next step is the current goal you are trying to close to move that sales opportunity forward. You may be thinking, ‘Big deal. Some golden key. What am I supposed to do now?’ I’m glad you asked! The way to implement this fundamental sales concept is by never ever letting a conversation or meeting end without setting the next step with the customer. At the very least, never let a conversation or meeting end without at least trying a couple of times to set this next step. A good way to think of it is that, at any point in the sales cycle, what you are really selling is the next step! When you get the next step scheduled, you’ve actually closed a mini sale along the way toward your end goal of closing the actual deal. This change in your behavior will have more impact than any single change you can make. And it’s easy to do. It is something that is totally within your control. I can tell you without any doubt that I get more positive feedback from my clients about this one technique than anything else I teach in my workshops and sales coaching engagements.

So, how do you know a next step when you see it? A lot of the time, I’ll be working with a client and they’ll say, “Peter, I always do that. I always set next steps.” “That’s great”, I respond. “Give me an example.” My client will tell me, “Well, I always tell them I’ll get the information they need, and I’ll call them next week.” Is this a next step? No. How about this. “Peter, the customer told me they liked what they saw in my proposal. They wanted to look it over and they said they’d give me a call the week after next.”

Sorry, that’s not a next step either. A legitimate next step must have two elements: a Time and a Date. If it doesn’t have a time or date, then it is not a next step. And if you don’t have a next step, you have a stalled sales opportunity. It is as simple as that.
Sales really is as easy as 1-2-3: 1-Always be closing for your next step with the prospect or customer; 2-That next step will drive activity, both on your end AND on theirs; 3-Activity drives sales results. Consistently implement this discipline in your business, and watch your sales grow. And if you want some tips on this, or on questioning and listening techniques, let me know!

Thanks again to sales trainer and consltant Peter Bruening for taking the time to write for this blog. If you would like to contact Peter for more information, he can be reached at pbruening@SellingPointsGroup.com. More information is available at http://www.sellingpointsgroup.com/. Once again, I encourage your comments on this posting or any posting in this blog. I am sure there are many experienced and knowledgable people reading this blog whose comments can help others.