ACTION 5: FOCUS ON WHAT THEY ARE COMMUNICATING—WORDS AND INTENT

The last Action for the Initiate step is to focus on what They are communicating—words and intent. This continues key aspects of the Wait step message—eliminate distractions and multitasking in order to be present in this conversation with this person at this time.

Focusing on words and intent expands the ideas of Action 4 (appropriate eye contact and open ears) to also pay attention to the unspoken communication. To hear what they are intending with their responses, listen for the emotions, motives, and energy associated with what they talk about. These are all signals about what is important to Them.

Look for Unspoken Messages

Your eyes are important throughout the conversation for more than just looking at the eyes of the buyer. Observe everything about their movements and environment.

You will get key information about their real message when you pay attention “in the moment.” Notice their pace and body language; be aware of hesitations, nervousness, and confidence. These valuable unspoken messages let you gauge the probability of the sales opportunity, allowing you to spend your time on the most probable opportunities in your pipeline.

The president of a company I spoke with several times scheduled a meeting with me and his management team to consider a custom leadership and sales training solution. The managers were open to the solution and we were discussing next steps when a woman came in and announced that the owner wanted to know the purpose of this meeting and why he wasn’t invited.

The president excused herself and left the room. The managers never said a word, but their body language—eyes darting about, some nervous throat clearing, and looking at each other and their papers instead of me—demonstrated their desire to end the conversation quickly. The president returned a few minutes later to announce that they “had some internal work to do before they could continue the conversation with me.” Though the president exchanged a few emails in the following weeks, we never met again. The managers’ unspoken messages at my meeting confirmed that this opportunity was dead and kept me from spending a lot of time pursuing it further.

Earn the Right to Move Forward in the Conversation

All the Actions of Initiate lead you to the ultimate objective, which is to earn the right to move forward in the conversation. When you focus on engaging and connecting with Them (as opposed to going into a product pitch), the buyer is more open to the conversation shifting to a discussion on their POWNs. They will give you permission to move into the Investigate step and provide the information that qualifies them and the potential opportunity.

So, how do you earn the right to move forward? By connecting with the buyer. By showing that you are listening to Them. By respecting their time limits and the customs of their particular Tribe. And your preparation makes all of those things easier.

After listening to their responses to connection questions, it is easy to segue into the Investigation with a comment such as, “It is good to hear that you enjoy your job. Are you ready to move to the specific questions I have for you today?” or “I understand you are pressed for time, let’s get to the reason we’re talking.”

The subtle feel of the way you approach the conversation differentiates you from the competition, and sets you up to collaboratively Investigate the buyers’ POWNs productively. When they have let you in and engaged in the conversation with you, it’s a good start to collaboration.