Get Everyone’s Cards on the Table SOONER than Later

It holds buyers and sellers hostage. The buyer is not able or unwilling to say yes because he is uncomfortable saying ‘no’, or he is not certain ‘no’ is the right decision. The seller, wanting to hear ‘yes’, is unwilling to hear ‘no’. Worse yet, salespeople believe that as long as the prospect has not said ‘no’, a ‘yes’ is still just around the corner. In reality the longer decisions take the more certain they become ‘no’ … often to the detriment of buyer and seller. So there we have it, one the most expensive and the most prodigious stalemate in business. What buyer and seller need most is a DECISION.

Decision, sooner than later, is in the seller’s and the buyer’s best interest. Decision, in principle, should be reached within the seller’s first meeting with a buyer. Often buyers need help making decisions. This is the seller’s job, not as a convincer but as an adviser. Get everyone’s cards on the table. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric said, “I learned in one hundred ways that I rarely regretted acting, but often regretted not acting fast enough. I can scarcely remember a time when I said, I wish I’d taken six more months to study something before making a decision.”

Indecision hurts buyer and seller in these key ways. Indecision is opportunity lost. Indecision increases costs. Indecision stalls progress. Indecision reduces profits for buyer and seller. Is there a cure for buyer indecision that can benefit both buyer and seller? Yes. Salespeople with these skills: objectivity, impartiality and selflessness.

Selling products, services and solutions is no longer enough. Start selling DECISIONS.

Peter Skakum
Selling Strategist & Consultant

Tangent creates Selling Strategies for non-profit & for-profit companies … federal, provincial & municipal governments.