Don't Write Yourself a One-Way Ticket to the "Check-In" Zone

We’ve all been stuck in the dreaded “check-in” zone.

An idea is shared with a customer. You shake hands or hang up the phone with promises to speak soon. The weeks that follow are filled with seemingly endless emails and phone calls “just checking in!” where most likely you receive no responses, but the ones you do receive are non-committal and uninformative.

It’s a frustrating place to be, especially when you know just how often the “check-in” zone turns into the “ghosted” one.

It’s even more troubling when you’re not quite sure how you got there. And the truth is, there are a lot of ways to wind up in no-man’s-land, waiting and hoping you get a response - and the first starts with how you present solutions.

Telling the customer what to do by why of a solution they didn't help create is a one-way ticket to the check-in zone.

Many salespeople simply provide a solution. They essentially hand their client a packet and say, “here’s what you need, any questions?” without inviting them to be a part of the conversation at any point along the way.

Yes, you are the expert on what you offer, so it’s only natural that you have some idea of what will help the customer. But when you share it, it should be with the expectation that the customer will jump in, will ask questions, will have adjustments, and will be excited to share their thoughts, too. Ultimately, all of that feedback is a good thing. It allows both of you to course correct and arrive at the final destination together. I call this co-creation, and it’s very powerful.

Your customer will be more invested in a solution they helped create.

Being told what to do does not, and never has, inspired action. Implementing a solution that you were a part of creating and are excited to see come to life does.

When a customer leaves a collaborative meeting, they may not have signed on the dotted line, but they are already picturing what comes next. They’re excited about the proposal, and it will be on their mind as they go about their day. The next time you talk, they’ll probably have more ideas, have realized a need that wasn’t addressed, thought of new follow-up questions, and even gathered input from their team.

All of it gets you closer to the perfect shared solution.

Co-creation takes more than one meeting.

We all want to close a deal as soon as the customer starts to agree with the plan. We all worry that the end of a really great brainstorming session will turn into endless check-ins. But you don’t need to. Just because a contract isn’t signed immediately doesn’t mean your customer hasn’t 100% bought in.

In fact, when you take a collaborative approach, the first meeting is just a conversation starter. The goal isn’t an immediate answer, but to lay the groundwork to continue the conversation. It’s the first step at creating a solution that is uniquely suited to the customers needs and a conclusion that is much more satisfying for both of you.

And remember, the more you work together before you sign a contract, the more you’re patterning what it will be like to work together once you have. You’re, in essence, developing a working relationship and demonstrating to them what it will be like to work with you. And that shows them your real value.