How to Use Timing to Manage Expectations

I run the "5 Minute Drill" at the end of every sales call: 🟢 Ask: How are you feeling? Should we keep exploring working together? There is zero sense in trying to talk timeline or next steps if the other person isn't bought in to continuing to explore. Pulse check their sentiment FIRST. Consider phrasing it like this: "Gut reactions - how are you feeling?" "What did you think? Worth exploring further?" If they feel good, move to the next question (below) If they don't feel good, you've gotta address their concerns first. ___ 🟢 Ask: Could you talk to me about timelines? Only once they feel good about continuing to explore, then you can talk timelines. You should understand timeline BEFORE you talk specific next steps. It's hard to recommend the proper next step if you don't understand the urgency (or lack thereof) If they need this implemented in a WEEK, you're probably gonna need to move faster than if they want to implement in 6 months. Best if you can tie timeline to something that's happening in THEIR world, but if you don't have that, you might say something like: "Talk to me about how you're feeling about timelines for something like this" ___ 🟢 Recommend: Specific Next Step(s) Once you understand timing - make a recommendation for how to proceed. Can be as simple as saying "What I'd recommend we do next is..." Can be as complex as reviewing a mutual action plan together. You should always make a recommendation for how to proceed- your buyer is not a professional buyer and it's your responsibility to help guide them. It's OK if they disagree with your recommendation, it means they're at least thinking critically about their evaluation process (and gives you a great chance to run some discovery about that process)

I hear this all the time from salespeople. The stress and struggle with meeting customer deadlines. During a session I delivered last week on forecasting and pipeline accuracy, I asked this sales team if this is an issue for them. Every hand went up.   When I asked why, the floodgates of assumptions opened.   🌟 Clients are demanding. They want everything yesterday. 🌟 The first responder wins. 🌟 I need to get this to them ASAP or I'll lose their business. 🌟 I have to drop everything just to hit a deadline, sacrificing my other responsibilities and my personal life.   👉Consider this: What if most of the stress you experience is self-imposed? 🤯   For example, you have a customer who needs a proposal. "The customer is expecting it yesterday!" you assume. You panic, as you look at your calendar for the week.   "When am I going to get this done?" The overwhelm takes over.    Here's the irony about managing and meeting customer expectations.   The customer didn’t set the deadline. The salesperson did! And all of this is based in the FEAR of loss and the ASSUMPTIONS they think the customer wants.   Rather than assume what they want, have them create the deadline! Here's the talk track to get your time back, eliminate the problem of overcommitting and meet expectations every time.   You: "Dear customer, when is the latest you need this proposal by?"   Customer: "Next Thursday should be fine, no rush, as I’m traveling."   You: "Okay, so if I get this proposal to you by next Thursday, when would you have a chance to review this?"   Customer: "I'll need to meet with the two other stakeholders to review this. And that won't happen until the following Tuesday."   You: "Great, let’s go ahead and schedule our next conversation after your meeting, so I'm being responsive for you and we keep the momentum going. What works for you?"   #sales #quota #proposals

Truth Number 1: Time kills deals.  Truth Number 2: The party who is least concerned about time often has the most leverage. In a negotiation, time is a massive two-edged swords in a negotiation. Nearly every single in flight deal that I was involved in last week leveraged an EOQ lever. Do I think this is a right and effective play in some cases? Absolutely. Do I think it’s unnecessary and can do more harm than good in other cases? Also absolutely. 2 weeks ago a salesperson (and a friend) called me up. They wanted some advice on a deal they were working on. They explained that they had deployed the EOQ lever and the stakeholder still hadn’t committed and in fact was asking for more. Here’s what I coached him to say: “Hey Bill - Previously I had mentioned that the additional 8% concession was contingent upon a signature by the EOQ. While I think signing by the 31st would certainly be ideal so that we can have the biggest impact for your team in Q2, I also understand that you have a lot going on and I don’t want you to feel rushed. Bottom line, I talked to my leadership and got them to agree to remove the contingency.  We’ll honor the 8% whether you sign this quarter or next. At this point, we feel really good about the proposal on the table. The ROI should be really strong and the SLA reflects that. The team seems really excited. Let me know if there is anything else you need from me.” In this case, Bill responded: “Wow, thanks. I actually think we can get it done but I appreciate the flexibility.” This salesperson texted me last Friday that the deal got signed. I’m genuinely not sure it would have (without additional concessions) if the rep didn’t take away the contingency. Time kills deals. Totally get that. But over-rotating on urgency can in some cases destroy leverage. You intend to put the pressure on the buyer but sometimes we’ll flip it right back on you because it’s so obvious the seller wants the deal by EOQ.  And often times, it can chip away at ACV unnecessarily. Again, each situation is different but it’s a good reminder that there are two sides of the sword. Wield it wisely. (And yes, the name of “Bill” has been changed. Isaiah has convinced me that when changing the name of the prospect, you should always use the name Bill. Not sure why, but I trust his judgment).