The perfect pipeline includes a consistent incoming flow of new prospect relationships with the exact right decision makers. Most business leaders and sellers say they can close sales most the time when they are in front of the right prospects. The problem is they just can’t get in front of enough of the right people. If this sounds familiar to you and you are not meeting enough of the right prospects there is likely a problem in one or more of 5 key Planks of your Door Opening Success.
The 5 Planks of Door Opening Success
The Right Target.
In my experience, at least 25% of most sellers’ time is spent on prospects unlikely (or unable) to say “yes” in a reasonable time frame. To narrow your focus on the right prospect group(s), ask yourself 3 questions. Is my offering the Obvious Solution to these prospects? Will they Willingly Pay what I want to charge? Do they have Urgency around having a conversation/taking next steps? Spend your valuable time on prospects who will say “yes!”
The Right Sales Message.
Your sales message is not the same as your marketing message. If you don’t have a sales message, get one. Be specific. Use compelling, relevant, emotional words/phrases to make strong, connections with the exact right prospects. When communicating with a single decision maker, research and further personalize your message. Inspire individuals to act.
The Right Answers for Objections.
If you can’t overcome an objection you will never close the sale. It’s that simple. Track objections which stall sales to know which answers need improvement. Using questions as answers for objections is an overlooked but powerful method to pinpoint real issues and move past them. Practice delivery of objection answers until they don’t sound rehearsed.
The Right Hunter.
Finding the right hunter is hard. Some hunters are “Openers” who excel intuitively (and enjoy) creating relationships where none existed before. Other hunters are “Closers” who excel at taking existing relationships from initial meeting to closed sale. It’s rare to find one hunter equally talented at both opening AND closing. If you need an Opener but don’t have one, sales success will be difficult, unpredictable and sometimes impossible.
The Right Execution.
Having the right target, right message, right objection answers and right hunter will not ensure success UNLESS you are executing properly. While there are many aspects to execution including how often to approach prospects, varying communication delivery, enlisting support from gatekeepers, etc. the most common mistake is not spending enough time weekly on door opening to make a difference. There is a direct correlation between time spent and success. To succeed in open more doors, spend more time on door opening.