Ask for the order
TweetHow simple and over stated is this basic premise of sales, yet how often is this the major issue with a salespersons performance?
If you are a sales person and you see that you are not crushing quota, ask yourself if you are asking for the order. With Web 2.0 sales, and other products with low cost trials, it’s way too easy to just have your prospect drag you out longer and longer and longer. And, if it’s a big prospect for you, it’s a scary proposition to have them not do business with you. But, I say, if they are not committing and are not willing to commit, then they aren’t doing business with you anyway and you need to move on.
Figure out what the appropriate trial time is and/or the number of meetings or calls you will take with the prospect and then insist on the order? And, never leave any meeting or a call without asking for the order. If you don’t ask, you most certainly wont make the sale.
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I wrote this post and then noticed it was a topic on Fred Wilson’s blog a few weeks ago as well. http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2008/05/ask-for-the-ord.html Its really interesting that this is such a wide spread problem. In this case, it was an entrepreneur looking for an investment. If you an entrepreneur and you can’t ask for the investment dollars – that’s an even scarier proposition because that is a sure sign you wont make your targets since you are afraid to ask.
