Good Choices Make For Good Sales Results

Should you go over the head of the stakeholder you have been working with on the big opportunity? Should you continue to work on having them invite in the executive sponsor your need on their own? Should you stay single-threaded because doing something different destroys the relationship-even if by doing so there is no deal?

Should you start in the C-suite, looking for a sponsor who will help you get in front of the people who you are going to need to work with on any initiative you would do together? Should you go directly to the people the C-Suite would forward you to as the best first step? Or, should you start lower in the organization, get an understanding of how to make a difference and move up?

Should you present a disruptive idea that is going to change your dream clients view of their business and compel change, allowing you to create an opportunity to do something together? Should you come in with the intention of doing discovery, exploring what your prospective client already believes they need to change and eliciting their ideas about what should be done? Or, should you enter into the conversation with a pitch and value proposition that would change their business if they agreed to move forward?

Should you treat an objection as something that lacks merit, believing it needs to be overcome and argue your case? Or does it make more sense to look at an objection as a legitimate concern, one that needs to be resolved to the client’s satisfaction for you to move forward together?

Should your first price be your best and final offer and one you are going to defend no matter what your dream client throws at you? Knowing that you are going to be asked for a discount, should you pad your number to make sure you can easily provide a concession, hoping it is enough to win over your competitors with irrational pricing? Or, should you prepare to negotiate in a way that permits your to give up something to gain something else worth as much or more to you?

In sales, there are not universal answers to each and every situation you encounter. Instead, there are only choices, decisions you have to make about what you believe is right for each situation, considering your goals and the context of each scenario individually. Good sales results come from good choices well executed.