The statistics I’ve heard say that 20% of buyers who are already in the pipeline ‘make no decision’ and 30% chose another vendor. How we know those numbers I don’t know and I suspect someone made them up. But there is no such thing as ‘making no decision.’ No decision is a decision. Or a decision that isn’t the one you were hoping for. I’m also suspect that sellers close as many as 50% of those in the pipeline. We’re not even going to get into how many prospects they went through just to get to their pipeline!

Here are a few questions for you to think about when you consider the possibility of managing the entire sale, and remember: using the sales model, you cannot be inside with the buyer when they go through their internal shenanigans, have their meetings and fights, talk with regular vendors, discuss with business partners. So given you can’t sell while they are doing their thing (that’s what we sit and wait for, remember?), I’d like you to have a think about what you CAN do (Of course, Buying Facilitation™ is the answer, so let’s see if you can get there with just a little help :) from me…):

What would you need to know or believe differently to be willing to use ‘selling’ as your second step and first direct traffic to the change issues buyers must address on their way to deciding anything?

For those who believe you’re  ’in control’, how would you know that you are not managing the entire sale now and are at risk of losing each sale because you have no control over the off-line issues buyers manage privately?

As buyers must do this stuff anyway (and they don’t know what they are going to do until it hits them in the face – they really, really need your help), what’s stopping you from being willing to add a different/new skill set to the one you’re already using? I mean really, really different.

What would you need to know to believe that you could bring about 3x more prospect who close in half the time is very viable (tested and proven) when Buying Facilitation™ is added as a skill to the front end of sales? And how would you know before you decide to learn it that you would be able to have that success?

What is it about the sales model that creates money objections, closing problems, and differentiation issues? And what would you need to do differently to have your prospects behave differently – with no objections, closing in half the time, and no other vendors being considered?

How would you know that it is very very possible to manage the buying decision from the first moment of consideration, through the internal shenanigans, through the buy-in issues and change management issues, to the solution and vendor choice – and not be in the dark while waiting for your pipeline to close? And not sell at all?

How much would your manager love you if you were able to tell him/her exactly when your prospect will close – and not lose any to ‘no decision’ or other vendor choice?

Just asking.

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Manage the sale, don’t just make it is a post from: SharonDrewMorgen.com

Enter Brian Carroll. He’s InTouch – literally. That’s the name of his company.

Brian will help you get leads. He’ll either make appointments for you, qualify leads, nurture your prospects (hats off to Jim Cecil here, founder of Nurture Marketing and the Drip System), plan events to get you leads – you name it, Brian is InTouch with getting you leads in the B2B market.

Here’s what Brian’s site says:

How Do We Work With Your Leads?

• Get in – Identify the right people in the right companies
• Stay in – Establish a memorable dialog
• Qualify – Ask the right questions
• Nurture – Stay engaged with relevant content and timely conversations until they’re ready to convert
• Optimize – Leverage the value of your leads and inquiries to generate more revenue and ROI

and

What Kind Of Results Will Your Company See?

• A continuous pipeline of qualified sales opportunities.
• Increased knowledge of who the most viable prospects are in your market.
• Focus on the key decision makers in each of your target organizations.
• Improved sales team effectiveness (more targeted selling time).
• More predictable revenue growth.

Brian hasn’t learned Buying Facilitation™ yet – although he’s en route and reading two of my books –  believing that he can better serve his clients in the above ways once he adds the behind-the-scenes decision management into his skill set. But even using conventional sales, Brian is a winner.

Take a look at Brian’s book: Lead Generation for the Complex Sale.

Brian is a committed professional, who takes his job as being an industry leader quite seriously. If you are seeking someone to help you get the right leads in the B2B marketplace, Brian’s the person. He’s a very nice man also.

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Listen to Sharon Drew Morgen speak on MaestroConference on Oct. 14.

Check out my new book coming out October 15: Dirty Little Secrets: why buyers can’t buy and sellers can’t sell and what to do about it. Read two free chapters. Sign up for presales deals, and announcements.

Or have a look at my book Buying Facilitation: the new way to sell that influences and expands decisions. Click here for two free chapters. It will teach you how to understand and manage the route through the internal decision process. Will it help you make a sale? Maybe. Maybe not. But it sure will help you make a client.

Brian Carroll Starts With A Lead is a post from: SharonDrewMorgen.com