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? Just keep running around for a while and see what happens? 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 step 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. It is your right and obligation to set the goal posts of your sale anywhere you want to at any time and, best of all, your customers will be glad that you do.
Every step of every sales process should have a predetermined optimal outcome. In other words, once I have this conversation, demonstration, proposal, or what have you, this is what I want to have happen; the commitment for the next step in our sales process. This way there are no surprises which is why it is strategically important to show those goal posts with your customers right away before you even start your sales process. “I’m glad we are having a discovery conversation today. The goal would be for us to do a scope of work together after this step.” “Thanks for allowing us to do this demonstration for you today. The goal for us would be to see if this is a good fit for you and, if so, let’s start working on a proposal together.” “I have an estimate for us to review together. The goal would be to see if this meets your expectations and we can start the process of putting this together as a contract.” Once the customer can clearly see the goal post with you, they can help you get the ball to the goal even faster than you would have on your own. Here are helpful tips for establishing goal posts to keep your sale moving forward.
Make it simple – Complicated goal posts are hard to reach. The more simple the goal post the easier the shot. If you are finding it difficult to simplify this, chances are that you need to break down this part of the process into smaller steps.
Write it out – This is the easiest way to see your goal post. If it is simple enough, you can write it on a small piece of paper and keep it in your pocket as a reminder. This will also help you to visualize success.
Make the goal post visible to everyone -This is your chance to set up the shot and what you want should never be a secret to the customer. Share your goal post at the very beginning of your sales step and come back around to it at the end to take the shot. The customer will be ready.
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.
