How many times have you given a presentation to a customer who, at best, could only say, "No," and at worst, could only say, "I want to think it over"? There was never a chance that customer could say, "Yes." They didn't have the power, the authority, or the capability!

Frustrating? Unfortunately, most salespeople externalize this problem by becoming angry at the customer. But, whose problem is it, really?

If you have identified the customer's pain and determined that the customer is willing and able to purchase your product/service, you might think that the only thing left to do is close the sale. However, if you have not been talking to the person who is the decision maker, you will not be able to close the sale. Therefore, in order to get closer to the decision maker (and close the sale), you will need to identify the customer's decision-making process.

 

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