[747] Selling in Extended Sales Processes

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the authentic Persuasion show. On this episode, I want to replay part of a previous show. Maybe you heard the original full length episode and this could be a great refresher and reminder. Or maybe this is your first time hearing this content and the timing could be just right to help you leverage authentic persuasion today in your role, no matter what. Here's to your success. [00:00:21] Speaker B: This is the authentic persuasion show. One thing to keep in mind, because I have a lot of people that listen to this, a lot of companies I work with that have longer sales cycle, right? So you might be thinking, okay, well, I sell something that takes six months, twelve months, 18 months, years to close, right? Like a few weeks ago, I was in Las Vegas speaking at a conference for senior living, senior housing facilities, assisted living, independent living, all kinds of things. And when somebody's making a decision to change their lifestyle, change their home, move into a new place, that is a big decision. And sometimes that takes a really long time and that sales cycle is really long. However, one of the things, and I'd mentioned this here on, uh, these training sessions and in general, is that the, each conversation should be seen as a individual sales opportunity and conversation, right. So it complete. When we're going through the authentic persuasion pathway, it's in each conversation. So each, even if you have a long sales cycle, then you see each one as you're going to do the complete steps and then there's going to be the follow up. And so this applies to everyone. Now, here's what happens with follow ups, and here's what I wrote about in selling with authentic persuasion in chapter 16, is talking about avoiding the follow up trap. And so what happens, and what that means is that a lot of times salespeople get into this mode where they have the people they're talking to right now, and then they don't buy today. Again, whether it's a short sales cycle, it's a long sales cycle, doesn't matter because the pattern is the same. What happens is that sale doesn't occur today, doesn't close, something doesn't happen, and then there's a follow up. And then what happens is those follow ups don't seem to go anywhere. People don't answer, they don't show for the follow up appointments or the meetings that were scheduled. They don't do what they said they were going to do. Like maybe they were going to send you documents or sign something or get somebody else involved, whatever that looks like, nothing is occurring, and then you're chasing them. What I have come to use for that kind of situation, especially when I see that with sales reps, pipelines, is that it feels like, and the term that I use is the prospect witness protection program. So like a witness protection program where the government or somebody is taking like a witness for a trial and then changing their identity and moving them to a new town and keeping them safe so they can't be found. It almost feels like that same thing with your prospects where literally it can feel like they have gone into a prospect witness protection program where literally you call them and they don't answer, you email them and you literally wonder, did they change their name? Did they change their phone number? Are they avoiding me? And there's a lot of reasons why I can actually feel like that and why you could have triggered those things. And I may cover those in various upcoming sessions. And it's a lot of training I do for salespeople and for companies is to help them understand what caused that. Why does it feel like that? Why does it feel like literally they might have put in their phone under caller ID, do not answer right. When you called, it feels like literally everything was great. And I've seen this too with many instances where somebody was the perfect fit. Square peg. I have, you know, they're a square peg issue. I've got a square hole solution. Like it's a perfect fit. They need what I have more than anything. It's going to make a huge difference. Might change their life, change their business, whatever that looks like. And not just in a everybody should buy this mode, but like literally it will solve them, solve something for them or it will help them achieve a goal. Perfectly. Exactly. And then they disappear and you're like, that was a done deal. That person should totally sign up or buy from me and then poof, they're gone. Right. And that's that prospect witness protection program that I've seen so many times. It's so interesting.