Imagine yourself playing a game of soccer. You’re on the field and you can kick the ball in any direction you want to. No one is blocking you and you have to score a point, but there’s only one problem: no goal post. Nowhere on the field do you see anything that resembles goal posts, all eyes are on you and you have to do something with the ball so, what do you do? Just kick and hope? Stand and wait?
Whatever you choose you’re going to look kind of silly trying to score a point, and that’s what it looks like when salespeople engage customers without knowing what the next sales process steps should be. You’re just running around on the field kicking a ball not knowing where to go. Wouldn’t it be great in sports if you could just put the goal post anywhere you wanted to so you could score points constantly? Well, that’s exactly what you can and should do in sales.
Every step of every sales process should have a predetermined optimal outcome. In other words, once I have this conversation, demonstration, or proposal, this is what I want to have happen; the commitment for the next step. At Scorecard Sales, we teach that showing those goal posts right away is strategically important. This transparency is a core part of an integrative sales improvement process.
Once the customer can clearly see the goal post with you, they can help you get the ball to the goal even faster. Here are helpful tips for establishing sales process steps and goal posts to keep your sale moving forward:
Make it simple – Complicated goal posts are hard to reach. If you are finding it difficult to simplify, you likely need to break the process into smaller steps. You can see examples of this on our blogs page.
Write it out – This is the easiest way to see your goal post. To learn more about us and how we visualize success, visit our company profile.
Make the goal post visible to everyone -What you want should never be a secret. Share your goal at the beginning and come back to it at the end. This level of clarity is a major focus in our B2B sales training.
Take the shot – Never waste a kick in sales when you are heading for the goal. If you have the right goal post, the customer will help you get the ball over that line and you can both high five each other when you do.
Using sales performance software (our web tools) can help you track these sales process steps and measure how often your team hits the goal post. If you need a more structured approach, our sales methodology training and sales consulting services provide the framework you need.
Ready to stop “running around the field” and start scoring? Request a quote for a customized training session today. The customer will be ready for the shot—are you?
