Three actions to shorten the sales cycle

I wish I could shorten the selling cycle, especially with my corporate clients. I often wonder how can I get the client all the information they need so they can make a quicker decision. I don’t consider myself a particularly good negotiator. In fact, after attending a workshop with Dr Victoria Husted Medvec recently and doing some role plays, I’m even more sure that I could sharpen my game when it comes to negotiation.

These are the three things I am going to take on:

1. Never, ever, ever deliver a proposal without being there – (apparently this can as much as cut the sales cycle in half) – call the prospect to say you have finished it and talk them through on the phone – or in person (gives you a chance to address each point/reduces confusion).
2. Never guess ‘What the client can afford or is willing to pay’ – start at what the project is worth and let them negotiate down where applicable. Don’t second guess them. Let them decide.
3. Before you begin a negotiation – always know your desired outcome. Know what your goal is; know your baseline to go down to; know your failure point (ie your real cost) and be prepared to concede  (make it a positive thing)

There is much more to negotiation than this – it was a half day session that I attended. I look forward to putting this into practice.