Thoughtful Thursdays – Selling to a group*
* When more than one person is involved in making the buying decision.
The subject of today`s thought came via a client who was having difficulty closing a sale. It was determined that although the primary contact involved was sold, there was a second party that was not comfortable and the decision was delayed. It was frustrating for my client as they had been meeting with both parties and although they were aware of some resistance it did not appear to be a show stopper. In spite of repeated attempts to find out which piece of the puzzle was missing the question remained unanswered.
What would I do? was the question. Would I schedule a meeting with the second person?
My suggestion was for my client to meet with the primary contact and help them facilitate the achievement of consensus with their colleague in order to move the sales forward. Make use of the good relationship with the primary contact rather than taking the chance of creating an uncomfortable internal situation at the prospects place of business. They had already tried the direct approach without success.
There was not a need to repeat the sales process but rather a little more research to find out the reason for the second person’s reluctance to agree. As it turned out the reluctance was fueled by a possible internal issue that once addressed paved the way to the close of the sale.
The learning was that the successful sales person makes a habit of being aware of and employing all the tools at their disposal to ultimately help their customers achieve their goals.
Good selling,
Richard
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