Chapter 15

Getting Commitment for the Next Action

When I give customized training workshops for clients, we always discuss the areas where reps need to improve. When they tell me their reps need work on closing techniques, I begin worrying. That’s typically indicative of a larger problem: not moving the call and the sales process to the point where the close is appropriate.

I suggest minimizing the use of, or eliminating, the word close and replacing it with commitment. Closing implies an end; instead, you want to open and build a relationship. To do that, you need constant movement on each of your calls toward an objective, especially your initial Smart Call. This movement happens when your prospects commit to doing something between now and the next call.

The Commitment Phase Validates What Has Happened So Far

A football team doesn’t throw the long bomb every time it gets the ball at its own 20-yard line. A man doesn’t ask a woman to marry him after one date. Neither tactic is a high percentage play. And—just like on sales calls—to achieve the objective, you need to move forward and enjoy the little successes along the way. The momentum builds and the ultimate commitment is much easier since you’ve traveled closer to the objective.

Therefore, the close shouldn’t be the major part of the call; it’s simply the validation of what’s been covered so far. Most football teams would be able to easily score a touchdown if they have moved the ball to the one-inch line. And the commitment we receive should be relatively easy to get if we have done everything else right up to this point of the call. How you do it is not as important as simply doing it; in other words, just running the play.

Your Attitude Is More Important Than Your Technique

Scan the sales section in bookstores or libraries, and you’ll find lots of nonsense on closing techniques. Many contain tired old phrases that cause people to bristle, like the guy from the Better Business Bureau the other day who, after his three-minute pitch about how I “qualified for membership” (by virtue of having a business, I guess), would like to drop by at “3:30 on Wednesday, or 9:00 on Thursday. Which would be better for you?” Neither, I told him, since that would imply that I saw some value in meeting with him, which he hadn’t shown me yet. He threw the long bomb too early, before moving the relationship forward, and tried to rely on the old alternate choice technique.

And there’s the famous scene in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, where Alec Baldwin, playing the sales manager, gives the impassioned speech, imploring his reps to “always be closing.” What nonsense!

Techniques are secondary to attitude. Sure, we’ll cover a number of techniques that you can pick and choose from so that you have a few you are comfortable with. But it’s much more important to work on your asking attitude. Get out of your comfort zone, ask more, and ask larger, and you’ll advance more prospecting opportunities and ultimately sell more.

It’s this simple: Have an asking attitude, and you’ll do it. Be shy about asking, and you’ll miss out, and maybe even lose your job. Don’t let that happen.

Get Commitments on Every Call

There are several scenarios where you want commitments on your calls. These include setting up follow-up calls to move a sales process forward, receiving commitments to simply meet with you, getting a promise to buy, and having the prospect pledge to do something in the future if things change. Let’s look at each.

Movement Commitments

Never agree to place a follow-up call until you’ve gotten the prospect to commit to doing something between now and the next contact. (We’ll talk about this a bit more in the next chapter on wrapping up.) It can be as minor as agreeing to review your catalog and selecting items they would like to discuss on the next call, an agreement that they will go through your web demo, a promise to collect their sales figures—the possibilities are limitless. Here are possible questions you can ask to get movement:

Some squeamish types might argue that some of these questions are pushy, but they are common business questions that are logical to ask if someone has come this far with you in a sales conversation.

Commitments to Meet with You

For some Smart Callers, the primary objective is to meet with the buyer. (As a reminder, I suggest taking the call as far as possible by phone to ensure you have an interested, qualified, hot prospect upon your arrival.) As with most of these commitment questions, the meeting request does not need to sound salesy or like a technique:

The Ultimate Commitment: Buying from You

Some of you may have a one-call close scenario that would allow you to go for the sale on an initial call. Even if you don’t, the following suggestions will help you when that time does arrive on subsequent calls or visits.

When you do pull the trigger and ask for the business, make certain you truly are asking, not just wishing. I’ll share an example with you. I was at a local Scottsdale big-box electronics store looking to buy a new computer CPU; I had gotten tired of lugging my laptop around all of the time. I drove to the store with the intention of buying—quickly. Not shopping, buying.

I should have been a sales rep’s dream. The person staffing the computer department greeted me and asked what I was looking for. I told him that I needed something to handle document creation, web stuff, and audio production. I stressed the words “looking to buy” several times. He pointed out several models, explained the options, and prices.

And he waited.

I emitted all kinds of buying signals, the kind that make most of us drool. He responded with things like “Well, we have this available” and “Keep this in mind.”

I did everything but say, “How do I give you my money?” wanting to see how long I could go before he would finally ask if I wanted to buy the machine.

Realizing that I could have wasted the entire day there—and knowing I had numerous projects awaiting me back at my home office and an 85-degree sunny day that needed a few golf balls pounded into its atmosphere that afternoon—I finally asked him, “Do you want me to buy this?”

A bit shocked, he said, “Uh, yeah, sure.”

And I did. He got the sale. Most reps wouldn’t have, in similar situations. There’s a difference between letting someone know what you have available and asking them to make a decision. Asking gets action; merely telling them about what’s available wishes for the sale.

For example, put yourself in the position of a prospect hearing this: “And I just want to let you know that we do have these in several different models and they are in stock.”

That’s weak compared to:

“And based on what you told me about your situation, the K-100 Model would be ideal to help you cut down your processing time. I have one in stock and could ship it today. May I do that for you?”

Naturally, the second one asks for a decision. Don’t just throw your desires out there and hope they’ll react. Be specific and ask (or invite) them to make that decision now. Sure, you’ll get more no’s, but what will you have lost? Nothing.

Will you get more sales? It’s guaranteed. Just ask the people who get the high numbers now.

And, similarly, lots of people have been very close to getting the decision they were looking for—but quit too early.

I often do an exercise in my seminars where I ask participants to give me one method they use to ask for the sale or commitment. Usually I will have one or two who say something like “So I’ll go ahead and fax over the contract, okay?”

Now, do you think that is asking for the sale?

No! What did the prospect say they would do with the contract? Nothing. And that is precisely what often happens.

The other part of that—the important part—is: “And when will you sign it and send it back with the deposit?”

Let’s look at some others:

Commitment for the Future

You’ve done all of the heavy lifting up to this point. If you determine there is not a fit or any other shorter-term potential today, you could increase your chances for doing business in the future with a commitment question. But not: “Keep us in mind, okay?” Everyone smiles and says, “Oh, I will,” in response to that. But we know they don’t. Instead, ask a more definitive question:

Here are some other commitment ideas and tips to move the sales process more quickly.

Get Commitment with Nonthreatening Words

While people like to own things, they don’t particularly enjoy buying certain items and services. So quit using the words buy, sell, and sold when talking with your customer. Instead of “Is this the machine you’d like to buy?” try “Is this the machine you’d like to own?” It sounds better, and customers feel more comfortable.

Why Not Try This Question?

Use the “Why not try . . .?” closing question. It’s a nonthreatening way for them to make a decision. “Pat, why not try the deluxe model?” Psychologically, they’re trying, not buying.

Help Them Realize They Have Nothing to Fear

A common saying is that the word fear stands for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” If you have prospects who are sitting on the fence, reluctant to take the leap, they often don’t have a logical reason for their inactivity, yet they are afraid to make a decision. And they probably can’t explain why. So help them recognize their irrationality.

Or try this one:

Asking for More Gets More

I have repeatedly suggested you think big. I also suggest you ask big. Negotiators use a technique called the theory of contrast—that’s just as applicable in sales—which states that you should ask for more than you expect to get or offer less than you expect to pay. It’s called contrast since the price, amount, or ultimate solution arrived at appears small, contrasted to what was originally asked for.

Employing this kind of request establishes a psychological standard in the other person’s mind. If such a standard already existed—say, a price the other person was thinking of paying—the much higher asking price immediately raises that level. For example, when I decided I wanted a nice, high-quality leather desk chair, I didn’t know the going prices; my expectation was, oh, maybe $200 or $300. Wrong! My eyes were opened, and suddenly my spending ceiling had risen over the $1,000 mark.

Investment professionals do this all the time. They’ll ask prospects if they have $50,000 to invest if the opportunity is right. This not only scares away the people who have no intention of investing; it often raises the amount that an interested investor might start with, maybe from $5,000 up to $10,000.

The theory of contrast also causes the other person to feel good about the transaction. It gives her a victory. All negotiating should be win-win, and this helps accomplish that objective. If, for example, you’re authorized to drop prices to win business, you should always start with the full price, which is more than you sometimes expect to get. In the sales process, you could use the lower price as a concession in exchange for getting a larger order.

Ask for Action, Not Permission

An article that originally appeared in the New York Times on October 15, 1997, titled “In War against No-Shows, Restaurants Get Tougher,” by William Grimes, is especially relevant for us as salespeople. Here is an excerpt:

Gordon Sinclair, the owner of Gordon restaurant in Chicago, had an epiphany about 10 years ago when he began adding up the cost of no-shows and found that the grand total was $900,000 a year, a figure that got him thinking, fast.

He made a change in the restaurant’s procedure that underlines the curious moral status of a restaurant reservation, which is less than a contract but something more binding than “let’s have lunch.”

He instructed his receptionists to stop saying, “Please call us if you change your plans,” and start saying, “WILL you call us if you change your plans?”

His no-show rate dropped from 30 percent to 10 percent.

In other words, by asking a question and eliciting a response, Sinclair created a sense of obligation. Getting that soft commitment made a huge impact. “May I send you some information?” is asking prospects to give you permission; “If I send you some information, will you look it over and we can talk again in a few weeks?” is asking the prospect to commit to the next step. If you’re able to engage them at all, you should be able to ask for some commitment—not permission.

If they’re too busy right now—or their budget monies are coming in two weeks—“Will we be able to talk more about this when I call back in a few weeks?” is asking for commitment and implies that they need to be ready for that conversation when you do call back. Then, you have a reason to send them material, so they’ll be ready. On the other hand, “May I call you in a few weeks?” is simply asking for permission.

People like to honor their commitments. If the call ends and they have only given you permission, why would they care what happens next? The ball is not in their court. But if the call ends and they’ve committed to doing something, odds are good they’ll do it. And if asking for that commitment doesn’t feel right, then it probably means you’ve got more work to do in building interest. Make it your goal on every call to ask a version of “Will you?” as opposed to “May I?”

Smart Calling Action Step

What will you commit to do as a result of this chapter?