Who Pulls the Trigger?

Problem:  Bob was at a meeting with the president, sales manager, and the office manager of a prospective client.  Prior to the meeting, Bob had figured out that the president would make the decision as long as the sales manager was positive.  But he wasn’t quite sure why the office manager was at the meeting.  After 45 minutes of intense discussion, the president decided that Bob’s instrumentation system would greatly enhance their operation.  All that needed to be resolved was the training concerns that the sales manager and office manager had expressed.  Bob spent the next fifteen minutes resolving the sales manager’s specific concerns.  He then turned to the office manager who had not said anything throughout the entire meeting and asked, “Do you have any questions?”  The office manager shyly explained that most of the questions had been answered and there were only a few minor issues.   Bob enthusiastically proclaimed that the minor issues could be resolved later and sensing the opportunity to close asked, “What would you like me to do now?”  The answer was, “Give us a couple of days to discuss your proposal.  Call us next week.”

Analysis:  Bob assumed that the decision would be made by the president of the company and ignored the influence that the office manager could have on the decision to buy his product.  The office manager, feeling ignored and uncomfortable that her concerns were not addressed, “pulled the trigger” on the sale.  You can almost hear her saying to the other two after Bob left, “I don’t feel good about this system. Who else is coming in?”

Solution:  You may have heard the old adage, “an involved prospect is a buying prospect.”  It proves to be true most of the time and it is worthwhile to ask for input from all of those involved even if you don’t get much of a response.  Ask each person whom you are selling at least two or three questions which require an answer and then wait for a response.   It might sound like, “How do you see yourself using the (whatever)?”  Or, “Bill made an excellent point earlier that I had not considered and it really helped.  I sense that you may be able to help me out in the same way…,” and then wait for a response.    Everyone in the group needs to be recognized as being involved in the decision; that’s why they’re there.  You make that happen by asking each one specific, thought provoking questions.   Don’t allow someone to “pull the trigger” on your sale.