Sometimes, Dilbert gets it really perfect…this one about the single track is exactly what salespeople should avoid.
I was thinking I should build a checklist for items to go over when you are in the middle of a deal:
- Did you confirm and re-confirm you are in the lead?
- Did you talk to all the people involved in the decision?
- Has the deal stopped moving forward? For example, someone keeps telling you, “We are still considering our decision.”
- Do they still plan to buy this kind of product?
I’m sure I could come up with many more – I always see people going into a deal and following one path. They talk to one person – they follow the same plan they had 2 months ago – they think they are winning when no one said they were – they believe that a “budget approval” will actually happen at some point.
It pays to be suspicious and have no sense of patience. Let’s face it – patience is not a virtue for salespeople.
Ask those hard questions all the time – we’ve all seen this Dilbert scenario happen to us.
