All too often, salespeople rush to the quoting stage so they can justify their value and fill their pipeline with quoted opportunities. They may conduct the traditional “needs analysis,” ask a few high-level budget questions, and then push to get a quote or presentation to the prospect in hopes of closing the sale.
A key element to a great salesperson is a short sales cycle. But what many sales professionals fail to understand is a short sales cycle starts with slowing down on the front end of the sale. The answers you provide while getting to know the prospect naturally speeds up the sale on the back end when the prospect has a quote in their hands.
Here are a few warning signs that a salesperson went too fast to get to the quote.
- The prospect says, “What are your guarantees?”
- The prospect says, “What is the catch?”
- The prospect brings up more objections or questions in the end vs. early stages.
- The prospect thinks it over more rather than making a decision.
- The prospect says, “This is too expensive.”
- The salesperson has to justify why the prospective client should buy, instead of the prospective client justifying why it is a good fit.
If you notice your team is putting forth more effort on the back half of their sales process versus the front half, that means they are rushing to get to the end. Or, if your people are selling harder than the prospective client is buying, they are rushing to the end.
If they are going to “fight,” it is best to “fight” upfront. Too often, the traditional salesperson does not have the conviction to qualify the prospective client just as hard as they are being qualified out of fear they will lose the opportunity. In reality, the opposite is true. By taking the time to uncover the root of a prospect's sales pain, you can discuss ways to solve the problem and discover the key to helping your prospects.
The good news is, you can absolutely close business by rushing through the process. The bad news, it takes three times the amount of effort and time. How much time could your team shave off their sales cycle if they were effective at slowing down on the front end?
