We are reaching the end of 2010 and it is typical for many people to use this period to take stock of their actions and develop their strategies for the coming year.
For Art Sobczak, the president of Business By Phone Inc., this means sales people asking what he called "the end-of-year cleansing question."
In a recent Tel-E Sales Tip of the Week, he responded to a sales rep that has a lot of prospects but not a lot of sales closing.
As a starting point, he asked "What percent of the people in your follow-up file at this very second do you feel will ever do business with you?" The typical answer is 50% or less, but that is not a very good percentage.
One of the reasons he said is that "reps like to hang on to prospects, thinking that shred of interest might eventually turn into something. They're right: Disappointment, and a waste of time, usually."
The real problem is that sales reps do not ask their prospect the tough questions early enough in the process.
"You need to find out if the person you're talking to is really a 'player.' It's always better to get a 'no' early, than to waste time, effort, paper, and postage chasing shadows that never will materialize, Sobczak said.
Here is his cleansing question—"Mr./Ms. Prospect, we've been talking for awhile now, and have agreed that we'd be able to help you (fill in with how they would benefit.) I want to be sure I'm not bothering you, or wasting your time or mine. Tell me, what is the probability we'll be able to work together in the next week/month/quarter?"
There are three possible results. The first is they say there is zero probability. "Great, now at least you can find out the real problem. Or move them out. Movement, forward or out, is progress," said Sobczak.
Or, "they give some other probability. Good, but not great. You want to ask what you both need to do to move forward now. Get specifics. Commitments. Ask them to attach time frames to the commitments. Don't allow them to continue putting you off. Again, movement here is success."
But the best answer is "You just might get the business right now. Perfect. Sometimes all it takes is the nudge to get the boulder rolling down the mountain.
"Do some end-of-year cleaning. Examine your follow-up files. Prepare you own strategy and ask the cleansing question," Sobczak said.`
