Moments of truth. Those times when the future hinges on what happens next. Some are big – like a marriage proposal – some are small – like certain questions in a sales call. The one thing I know for sure is that in the current economic environment, you can’t waste a single moment of truth in your business.
Inexperienced sales people sometimes won’t ask a question because they are afraid of the answer. If a prospect says “no, I am not going to make a decision this week/month/year”, then the sales person has to either follow up to understand why (and see if there is an opening to provide more info) or accept the answer and move onto someone else. Either way, it means more work for the sales person.
But don’t you want to know where you stand? I know I would. That way I have a realistic pipeline and forecast rather than a hopeful one. Ask the question. Get the understanding. Find out where you really stand and what is really going on with your prospects. Time is the only part of your sales process that is truly in your control. And in today’s new business reality, you need that time to find prospects and customers that really have a need that they want fulfilled. Don’t waste your time. Don’t waste a moment of truth.
What do you think? Let me know your thoughts on time wasters and moments of truth.
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Amen Dan! Truth, Focus, Reality…all factors that lead to what we all want – profitable growth. Part of the “upside of the economic downside” is that businesses can not get by on inflated sales projections, but they can thrive when they fulfill the promise of a bullet-proof value proposition.
Economically-challenging times provide a list of checks and balances. A list that many industries have needed since investors started rewarding “promise versus profit” – about a decade ago. Now that the economy has stripped many companies of the luxury of non-profitable business lines, only the companies who are willing to deal in “truth” will remain.