Not all prospects are created equal. Unfortunately some prospects, whether due to needs, negotiating style, or personality, are going to ask more of you than others. Some will be satisfied fairly easy while others will seem to try to extract every last bit of knowledge, expertise, compromise, and of course savings out of you, till it seems your very mind and soul are a parched desert.
Will You Do Some Groundwork For Me?
Here’s the scenario, you’ve presented your sales pitch, you’ve explained every facet possible and you have come in for the landing. Your prospect is engaged, eager to ask questions, and generally seems enthusiastic about the possibility of working together. As you wrap up your pitch, and ask for feedback, they hit you with this one: “Well, that sounds great. Here’s what I would like to see: I would like to see you put together a plan which details the project (exactly what you would do for me), gives pricing justification, and a timeline for completion. Could we go over that at our next meeting?” Be careful how you handle this client.
Why Playing “Let’s Pretend” Is One Of The Best Prospecting Tips
Now this is generally a positive sign, they are interested and want to know more. However, it’s important not to surrender to this request. Simply saying “yes” sets you up to come through on all of their terms without establishing any of yours. That is poor negotiating. Instead try a reply like this “I’d be more than willing to work on a proposal like that. However, let’s pretend my proposal is totally satisfactory. What would happen then?” This response puts the ball back in the court of the prospect in an effort to help determine exactly how much of your time you should spend helping them.
Saying “I Would” Is Important
It is important to start your reponse by saying “I would.” Don’t say “yes”, “certainly”, or any other afirmation which promises you will do the work. Saying “I’d” or “I would” makes your action dependent on their response. You are asking for an incentive to do the work necessary to create a proposal. Remember this proposal will likely take quite a bit of research, number crunching, and presentation prepping, and may not even result in a sale. It’s not that you have an adversion to work, it’s simply that you want to make sure you will be rewarded for the work you are agreeing to do. Whether or not the prospect purchases from you they will almost certainly pay close attention to your proposal and the research included and will file it away for their own use and analysis. You are not an intern doing a free evaluation.
By using the “let’s pretend” method, you can get a good estimate of much effort should be put into this prospect. While it may be well worth the time and energy you are going to invest, make sure you have a way to count the cost before you take the plunge. If you would like to learn more about prospecting, closing the deal, or sales best practices, check out our excellent book, The Sandler Rules. Learn more about how to apply these principles from Sandler Training Solutions by contacting Sandler Salefish today.
