Time kills deals

A boss I had ten years ago told me this. I've never had better, more succinct advice on how to sell.

Our natures urge us to procrastinate. This is especially true when selling, an uncomfortable role for most people. "I can make that call tomorrow." "Following up can wait."

We're also very lenient with prospects' delays. We want to give them time to work things out, instead of jumping in and managing them toward a decision. Here's the worst sales maxim ever: "No news is good news." In selling, nothing can be further from the truth.

So, make that call today. Go searching for the bad news in any deal you're working on. If the client is slow making a decision, get involved and try to move them ahead. Don't wait. And why is that? Well, you know the answer now.

(Picture from flightstore.co.uk.)

marketing, sales