Why You Need to Stay Out of Your Head

You nailed the first four steps of the meeting. You did your research, you meticulously scheduled a meeting, you built rapport, you co-created a solution with your customer. You’re almost at the finish line, but you haven’t fully crossed it yet.

If you end the call or leave the building with nothing more than vague promises to chat soon, there’s a good chance you’ll fall off the radar and end up in the place you’ve worked hard to avoid: the check-in zone. But pulling out your calendar and asking to schedule a follow-up feels too forceful or sales-y when you’ve put so much effort into being a guide.

Believe it or not, the opposite is true.

Trust the work you’ve put in so far. If you’ve truly committed to being a partner to the customer, they already see the value of what you have to offer. They know what you’re working towards. More importantly, they know what they’re working towards with you.

You’ve been their guide this entire time. Why would you stop leading them through the process now?

Don't lose the sale at the finish line.

Let me tell you a little bit about Tim.

Tim was (and is) a tech entrepreneur who I met at a workshop. As Tim explained it, he was having a lot of trouble closing deals. He met with several potential customers, had great conversations with naturally flowing dialogue, he answered questions without entering debates to overcome objectives. He’d leave each meeting thinking it went great, but nothing would ever happen.

The reason why was obvious to me. Tim was so worried about being seen as a pushy salesman that he never even broached next steps. He forgot what he was trying to do was help his customers with the solutions he was giving them.

Remember: you're there to solve somebody's problem.

Sales is about learning and understanding people. It’s also about being of service. Once you understand what’s going on in their world and the full scope of the challenges they need a solution for, you can work with them to create a roadmap that solves them.

They ultimately will be the one to decide whether or not they want to follow the plan you create together - but you need to give them an invitation to take the next steps.