ACTION 3: ASK FOR A DECISION OR COMMITMENT TO ACTION
Asking for a decision or action naturally follows the confirmation of value: It keeps you from sounding random or disjointed. “Do you want this?” or “Ready to sign the papers?” without a segue can make the buyer feel defensive. Instead, confirm the value of your solution and then ask for the decision:
• “Chris, as we reviewed, our three-step fertilizer program will yield you between 10 and 15 percent more crop this growing season. Are you ready to place the order?”
• “Your investment in advertising to a targeted audience in the magazine will expose your company to 150,000 potential customers a month. Should we design your campaign to begin with next month’s issue?”
The easiest and most efficient way to close more sales or advance your sale is to complete the earlier steps of WIIFT and then ask the buyer to make a decision or commitment.
A decision is what is needed. A “no” response is better than no answer because then you can move on to more probable opportunities. If you get a “yes,” you’ve just closed another sale.
To confidently and successfully ask for a decision:
• Be specific. Clearly ask for a specific decision or action, such as “Are you ready to move forward?” or “Can we initiate the paperwork today?”
• Be assertive in asking for the decision. Asking a complex question such as, “Are you ready to make the next step or do you need more information?” complicates the situation and indicates insecurity.
• Pause after asking the decision question and wait for Them to respond. Do not minimize the importance of making a decision or try to rush them.
• Use a confident tone. The responses to your readiness questions should have removed your fear of a negative response. Keep your voice steady.
• Make eye contact when you ask.
• Adapt your question to their Tribal Type.
Securing this decision verbally is important. If the buyer doesn’t specifically answer, then you are moving forward on assumptions—and you know what happens when we assume, don’t you? We can be wrong and set ourselves up for disaster.
This lesson was reinforced as I sat behind the exit row on an airplane. Before the plane departed, the flight attendant approached the passengers in the exit rows to explain their role in case of an emergency. She then asked them if they were willing to help others in an emergency. All four passengers nodded their head in agreement.
Then the attendant said, “I need you to verbally tell me ‘yes’ or ‘no.’” And they each said, “Yes.”
As I watched this situation, I thought, “That’s what’s often missing in closing sales. We pay attention to body language and make assumptions. But if we don’t have a verbal commitment or agreement, we might be setting ourselves up for a disaster later.”
Many buyers need us to ask them to make that verbal commitment to action or a decision. Whether the decision is a buy decision, a commitment to a next meeting, an introduction to someone else, or permission to send additional information, we need Them to say “yes.”
Help the Tribal Types Make Decisions
Getting that decision can be rewarding—and frustrating! There are many factors that affect decision making:
• Emotions
• Their trust level with you
• The belief that what you offer will help with their POWNs
• Internal politics
Don’t ignore emotions’ impact on decision making. Use what you learned about their emotional hot buttons and risks or rewards in the Investigate step to address and influence the emotions and logic components. My observation is that decisions are not always made logically. Often they are made with emotion and then supported with logic. The emotions can be positive or negative; some people move forward with excitement or joy while others may be driven more by fear or other negative emotions.
You impact the buyer’s decision making as well. Some buyers won’t make a decision without your proactive approach in asking for the commitment. Others don’t want you to complicate the process and want you to get out of their way. Tribal Type customs provide insight into how different people approach and reach decisions. This insight allows you to vary your approach in asking for the decision.
Achievers Achievers make quick and impulsive decisions. They hear something that resonates with them and they are ready to “Just do it,” as Nike says. While this is beneficial in securing a quick buying decision, there are some pitfalls. For example, wrong expectations can be set or others in their buying company/family may not buy in and may challenge the decision.
Achievers fear being taken advantage of or delaying a decision and failing to achieve something on time.
To aid Achievers at decision time:
• Provide only the most important information to them.
• Don’t overcomplicate the decision-making process.
• Make it easy for them by taking care of the details or paperwork, if possible.
• It might be necessary to hold up the caution sign; let them know that slowing down now to address other information may prove beneficial later.
• Ask, “What would you like to do next?”
Commanders Commanders like to make the right decision. Their need to be right might mean that decision making is a long process that includes lots of facts, evidence, analysis, and more analysis. Commanders like options and the ability to make a comparison. They also like the final decision to be their idea, so the opinions of others carry little weight. Their need to be right can also be a blind spot that blocks out relevant information—even if the information supports what they want to do.
Commanders fear being wrong. They need to make a sound and correct decision, but their decisions aren’t always as logical as they believe.
To aid Commanders at decision time:
• Provide information they need, preferably in printed copy.
• Take a logical and organized approach to the process that leads to the decision.
• Use quantifiable information whenever possible for describing the value provided by your solution and the return on their investment.
• Present options for them to select from.
• Ask “What other information would be helpful as you weigh your options?”
Reflectors Reflectors need time to make a decision. Because they don’t like risk and want to be careful, they need information, detail, and others’ input to comfortably make the decision. The bigger the decision, the more information, detail, and input they will need. The “buy now or you lose out” approach does not work well with them, and they will decide not to do something if pushed. The delay in making a final decision can be costly, and assisting a Reflector in making a decision is valuable.
Reflectors fear change and instability, which can make every decision feel like a risky one. They worry that something will go wrong after they decide and then they will be stuck.
To aid Reflectors at decision time:
• Clarify the process of what happens after a decision is made.
• Set expectations and be clear on what decision you are seeking.
• Provide the warranty and guarantee details to minimize the perceived risks.
• Be patient and assertive. Though they need time to make the decision, they also appreciate a timeline that forces them to actually decide.
• Ask, “How can I support you as you finalize your decision?” Stay in touch more often than with the other Types.
Expressers Expressers make a lot of decisions, and they may reverse many of them as well. They will make a decision “in the moment” that satisfies them and the people with them at that time. If contrary opinions or ideas surface soon after, they can be easily swayed to change their decision. The opinions of the other people involved matter to them. You, the people on your team, and the people affected by the decision are important drivers in a decision.
Be careful. Expressers may tell you how much they like your offering, how great you are, and how much they like this or that. This isn’t necessarily a buying signal. They don’t want to hurt your feelings. Also, Expressers’ decisions are often highly emotional and they can be “oversold.” Further, Expressers fear making an unpopular decision that will affect how others feel about them.
To aid Expressers at decision time:
• Stay in touch with them to keep you and your solution at the top of their minds. Plan for time to be social in your contacts rather than “all business.”
• Offer your opinion. They may even ask “What would you do?” or “Do you use this?”
• Find out who else needs to be involved and involve them as early on as possible in the sales process.
• Since Expressers are visual, they like to see the solution when possible—use tangible sales aids or paint the picture with a story that they can put themselves into. Highlight and condense the most important items for them. Too much detail or lengthy reports or handouts will most likely not be read. Then equip them with more details to “sell it up” internally if they need to.
• Ask, “What will others think about doing this?” Positive opinions from others will spur them on; negative ones are better out in the open so you can address them (collaboratively, of course).
Recognizing the customs of each Tribal Type helps you to address the logical and emotional factors. Adjust how you work with the buyer through all the WIIFT steps and then ask for the decision. This proactive request moves stalled sales, increases your closing success, and strengthens the value you bring to the sales process.