We've all had them, right?
At lunch today, we spoke about the meeting that was too good to be true. The person you met with (who was to relay the information to the DM) was engaging, energetic, giving buying signs—basically all of the right stuff that says this is a slam dunk.
You were so enthused about the appointment that you projected the deal to close in a matter of weeks. Then... the bottom dropped out. All of a sudden, your contact was dodging your calls, offering lame excuses about late lunches, not being at their desk, no returned emails, and the occasional excuse that so-and-so is out on leave.
I hate meetings like these, and before you say, "Well, you should have met with the DM," I can tell you that many of my appointments never get me face-to-face with the DM the first time. They will pawn that job off to a trusted person in the company who does not have the authority to sign an order.
So, what can you do to "avoid the appointment that goes all too well"? Well... nothing. You will have meetings that go like this, and you need to add some closure before you leave the meeting.
- Who is the ultimate decision-maker?
- Is there a reason they are not here?
- Are you looking at other proposals?
- What is your buying criteria, is it price, support/service, speeds 'n' feeds, features?
- What is your budget?
- When do you need to make a move on this?
Above all, if you have not presented the proposal yet, then BEFORE you leave, schedule a follow-up appointment with the person you just met with along with the DM. If you don't, someone like me will! One other item, assume that the order is yours and move forward until you are stopped!
You can lose orders for the following reasons:
- Sorry, my boss's next-door neighbor also sells the same equipment and he or she ordered from them.
- Sorry, my boss has an uncle, aunt, or cousin in the business and we ordered from them.
- Sorry, another salesperson scheduled an appointment with my boss and we bought from them.
I could probably list another 25 or so. My point, even though the meeting was great and all the energy indicated that you were going to get the order, does not mean that you can lay back and WAIT for the order! You have to make something happen, and that's to schedule the follow-up meeting to sign the paperwork with the DM. Right, assume the order. If they balk, then that's an objection that you need to know.
Losers wait for things to happen, and winners make things happen!
-=Good Selling=-
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