We each offer a product or a service daily. Often the product we offer is our capacity to be a better spouse, parent, employer or employee. “A Feast Fit for a King” is particularly relevant for people in sales though each of us “sells” constantly in some way, shape or form.
When is the best time to ask someone to make a decision about our offer?
The most obvious answer is when the recipient has all the information and is predisposed to accept our suggestions.
Suppose we are preparing a Feast Fit for a King for someone special. We go to the supermarket, buy the ingredients for the meal, a nice bottle of wine and candles to create the perfect atmosphere.
While we prepare the meal, we think of all the details. The precise moment to put each course into the oven, the table setting and the music we want to hear. When everything is ready, we sit down at the table with our loved one to enjoy a Feast Fit for a King.
When is the best time to enjoy each succulent bite?
It is in that instant, of course!
Something similar happens when we talk to a client. We diligently do the following:
Contact the person
Qualify their capacity to buy
Investigate necessities and desires
Present our offering in terms of benefits
Respond to concerns with confidence and conviction
After we have expertly followed each step, we can ask for a decision without fear and without fumbling. While the words are not nearly as important as the intent, we can say, for example, “Let’s get things going; I just need your approval.”
Amazing as it may seem, studies have shown the majority of sales calls end without the salesperson ever asking for the order! At the end of the presentation, the salesperson typically mumbles something like, “What do you think?” to which the person eloquently replies, “Let me think about it, and I’ll call you…”
We know from experience, the promise of “I’ll call you…” is typically an empty promise designed to get rid of salespeople.
What can we do?
Just as the best time to eat a Feast Fit for a King is in this instant, the best time to highlight the benefits of our offer and to ask someone to make a decision is at the same time we have given them all the information they need.
If we put our Feast Fit for a King in the refrigerator and take it out the next day, it may still taste great, although it may never be as good as the moment it was first prepared. Similarly, a person is most likely to make a favorable decision immediately after we have “served” our proposal.
Rather than packing our bags and heading for the nearest exit in defeat, we should do everything possible to urge people to make a decision now and not later. Often, the worst thing we can do is to do nothing at all.
While there are no magic words or secret formulas to achieve our objectives 100% of the time, we can enter into every situation prepared to give our very best with confidence we will achieve our purpose. When we take action and ask people to make a decision, we determine our direction and drive our destiny.
In April, 2005 Lunar Letter, we conducted a survey regarding the following question:
“How do you overcome Fears, Uncertainties and Doubts to be more productive?”
The most frequent response from our readers was to, “Take Action!”
Take action today to empower excellence tomorrow.
@RobMcBride
May 2005