Is there anything more exciting than making that presentation to a sales qualified opportunity? You’ve perfected the pitch, customized your value to the pain points you’ve carefully uncovered, verified that you’re speaking with decision makers, the project is imminent, and crafted your jokes and relatable vignettes based on the relationship you’ve built with them.
It’s in the bag. A sure thing.
Everything goes perfectly, until the end, when you say, “I’ll send the presentation over. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback”. That little feeling of doubt? That’s letting you know that you’ve let your lucrative deal hanging in the ether and put yourself in a loop of “follow up” calls and emails.
Skillfully wrapping up a demo or sales call can make the difference between won deals and increased revenue or endlessly hearing “status updates” in weekly sales meeting.
Some tips for increasing securing next steps:
· Get a buddy! Someone to take notes, jump in if they see you floundering, and make sure the admin part of next steps (dates and times, calendar invites, documents such as CDA’s) are agreed to and secured (We’ll let you in on our favorite trick for this below). This frees you up to focus on the prospect, connection, and pitch, and ensures that the prospect is not lost after the meeting.
· Discuss what the ideal goal and achievement of the meeting are and create specific questions and tactics around them. In complex sales, those goals may not be the popular “ask for the close”, but to get to additional stakeholders, secure project details, or be offered an RFP.
· Practice handing those next steps back and forth with your sales buddy. Make yourselves a smooth, tactical team. This is just as important as your pitch practice.
· Make sure you consider potential objections (budget, timing, not a fit) from the prospect’s perspective. Plan for them, but, not so much that you assume what is really behind them. Be prepared enough to be able to listen not just reply.
As promised, we’re sharing our favorite tactic for ensuring next steps: a Mutual Decision Template. This document lays out the agreed upon next steps, action items, ownership and deadlines for both parties, and plays into the very human desire to know exactly what the plan is to reach “done”.
“What does ‘done’ look like? Paint ‘done’.” – Brene Brown
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At the end of all the support, planning and strategy, you are creating the vision of and providing a clear pathway to a mutual endpoint that satisfies both parties and leads to a successful partnership.
Sales support and tactical planning are key to ensuring your next steps are fulfilled and completed. Channel Methods specializes in supporting you through business intelligence, presentation support, and next steps strategy – as well as C-level consulting – in converting opportunities to new clients.
Schedule some time to learn how Channel Methods’ client acquisition expertise can accelerate your sales process and support your closing success.
