Can I Have the Real

Sales Moves I Jeffrey Gitomer
Can I Have the Real Decision Maker, Please?

T
he prospect tells you, "I only need one more approval and the order is yours:" Is it time to take a victory lap? No, because that last person to vet the purchase is the real decision maker. The boss. The one you were supposed to be talking to in the first place.

Throw some cold water on yourself, pal; this sale hangs by a thread. What are you going to do about it?

First thing, get in on that meeting. When you hear the words, "I only need one more approval," say, "Great, when do we all meet?" Get the prospect to agree to let you attend.

If you're not present when the last decision is made, odds are you will lose the final battle of the sales war without being able to fire a shot.

If there's still a question about your participation, say in a non-salesy, friendly way, "I'm an expert at (what they do), and Mr. )ones, you're an expert at (what they do). Surely, as you discuss our service, questions about productivity and profitability will arise. I'm sure you agree that the right information needs to be presented so that the most intelligent decision can be made?

And questions might arise about our service. I'd like to be there to answer questions about my expertise so you can make a decision that's in the best interest of your business." Get a commitment.

If the prospect agrees to the meeting, you are seen as a resource, a trusted partner. If not, you're just a salesperson.

When others need to give final approval to the deal, in addition to learning to qualify the buyer better, you must take these five steps to save the sale:

1. Get the prospect's personal approval. "Mr. Prospect, if it were just you and you didn't need to confer with anyone else, would you buy?" The prospect will almost always say yes. Then ask, "Does this mean you'll recommend our service to the others?" Get the prospect to endorse you and your service to the others, but don't let him (or anyone) make your pitch for you.

2. Get on the prospect's team. Begin to talk in terms of "we," "us," and "the team." By getting on the prospect's team, you can get the prospect on your side of the sale.


3. Arrange a meeting with all deciders. Do it any (ethical) way you can.

4. Know the prime decider in advance. Ask your contact to tell you about the others. Take notes about them.


5. Make your entire presentation again. You only have to do this if you want to make the sale. Otherwise, just leave it to the prospect. He thinks he can handle it on his own and will try his best to convince you of that.

If you think you can get around these five steps, think again. It's obvious you're looking for shortcuts or you would have properly qualified the buyer in the first place.

If you make the mistake of letting your prospect become a salesperson on your behalf by going to the boss or group instead of you, you will lose most every time.

Here are a few ounces of prevention for next time:
Make sure you learn who the real decision maker is by asking a seemingly innocent question at the beginning of your presentation: "Is there anyone else you work with on decisions like this?" The object is to find out if anyone else is involved in the decision before you make your presentation.

Prevent the situation from occurring by saying in your initial presentation: "If you're interested in our when we're finished, would it be possible to meet the CEO and chat about it?"

The most powerful qualifying question you can ask, and it must be asked exactly this way, is "Bill, how will this decision be made?" Bill will give you an answer. Then you follow up with, "Then what?" Bill will begin to give you the saga about how the decision is really made. If you do this four or five times you will eventually have the name of the real decision maker.

The number of sales you make will be in direct proportion to the number of actual decision makers you face. The problem with most salespeople is they are sitting in front of people who have to ask someone else's permission to make the purchase.

Real salespeople sit in front of real decision makers. How about you?
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "7he Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." He can be reached at (704) 333-1122 or via e-mail at salesman@gitomencom.