Livin' on a Prayer

Holy miracle Batman--he answered his phone!  He really liked the fund!  He promised to take a closer look at it. You asked if you could call next week and, drumroll, he said yes.

What are your odds in closing that sale??

I’d say zippo to none unless the stars are aligned, you are a Sagittarian and your prayers are always answered.

What’s really going on here??  Are you up to your old tricks again?  Chasing a flame without a match?

Remember the rules:

Rule #1:  Never ask a question that you don’t want the answer to.

Rule #2:  Great sales reps know that questions are your BFFs.

Rule #3:  Awesome sales reps have a list of questions to ask whenever an advisor shows interest.

Here’s some Rule #3 questions:

What’s the level of urgency for this advisor (when is he thinking about changing)? Is is now (and why)? At the end of the quarter? Is he just window-shopping?  You need to know so you can send a personalized message at the right time.  Without info all you got is “Checking back in…”.

What else is he looking at right now? Most sales reps (including me) are dazzled by their own product. Don’t forget to take your sunglasses with you.

Why does he want to change? If you don’t know this, you can’t possibly address how this fits in the context of his biz.

What might get in the way of making a change? This gives you amazing intel on decision makers and if you are really good at this, understanding how they make their decisions.

What's his trigger point for making a move? The ‘piece de resistance’ of questions.  What market or business event would set his decision-making in motion? Try to keep quiet and let the advisor ponder and address (don’t be surprised if he has to think about this).  Here's an example:  Given the market, how long will you be content to stay on the sidelines? What's the plan if interest rates go up?  Down? How does the (price of oil, China, Election, etc.) factor in your decision making?

You may only get one shot at working with this advisor.  Living the dream is 4 or 5 questions away from living on a prayer.