Identifying potholes before they become sinkholes

Be observant, be forthcoming, anticipate tension, expect adversity, everyone is not you, all are not aggressive, personalities are different. All of these things are important in forecasting, determining and hopefully remediating issues or potholes as I refer to them in our travels in sales. Many of us expect smooth sailing all of the time which in reality isn't possible. We cannot control variables. That is why they are called variables. ;) Sooo what the heck is Shawn talking about. Here is a example. You have a customer who is extremely anal, very impulsive, somewhat bossy, maybe a little over the top at times but is a great customer and most of the time a great person. But in business he or she is tough. You come to find out that another partner who sells your product is going to be bidding for the same business. Don't let this customer find this out for himself. Call him up and confront this situation and discuss the strategy. Don't wait til last minute. Cause what could happen is your trust could be jeopardized even though you didn't do anything. It will just be looked upon as strange if you do not bring up the fact right away that another partner is bidding. Another example would be, let's say you are working with an end user on a potential sale. You have sent all of the necessary quotes and information and are awaiting a decision. Later that day your product management team announces that tomorrow will be the day to announce the new product line. Do not NOT tell your customer about the new product line and let them make the decision without knowing. This could create a sinkhole without it ever starting as a pothole. Let them know about the new product and be upfront about it. Explain the differences and pricing advantage or disadvantages. Your customer will appreciate this and build even more trust with you. If you hide that info in order to get the biz right there and then all of the trust you built could vanish. Make sure you put yourself in others shoes. Anticipate what could happen. Be observant to what's around you and transpirting. Open your ears. Watch for forks in the road when negotiating. Customers don't like surprises so eliminate them by looking for potholes before they become sinkholes.

Happy Selling!!

Shawn
SR@ShawnCReilly.com