Getting committment at the end of the call

Inside Sales Series

How to get commitment at the end of the inside sales call

David MaloneTrainer| Speaker | Consultant

www.evolve.ie

Riddle me this?

What does a politician give at the drop of a hat ........ but often fail to deliver upon

at a later stage? ..................

A woman often fail to get from her

‘boyfriend’ of 20 plus years?...........

And an inside seller forget to get from a prospect at the end of a telephone

meeting? ..........

The answer:

COMMITMENT!

Successful sellers understand that every inside sales conversation with a sales prospect must

conclude by obtaining a commitment that moves the sales cycle forward. to the next step

I know that already!

So why doesn't every inside seller ask for a commitment at the end of the call?

• Poor qualification.• Leading to lack of focus on prospect’s priorities.• Resulting in no feedback from the prospect• With the seller proposing to send a generic

presentation / document that the prospect hasn’t asked for or agreed to do anything with. *Sometimes with some high level non specific comment about following up thrown in!

• The prospect concludes with a socially polite comment that the seller takes as a commitment.

Sometimes …Fear of being rejected - which can be caused by…

For Example: “So Gerry, that’s what the new next offering looks like – I am going to mail it to you now. I will touch base with you in two weeks?”

But often what follows is a)The prospect is not available for next call.b)The prospect has’not done anything with the presentation you forwardedc)The next call ends being a re-run of the previous one

‘That sounds okay’.

And Sometimes there is no commitment …..

…. because the seller has not planned their desired call outcomes in advance ……..…… and just end up in the wrong place!

So here are some ideas to help you get mutually agreed commitments at the end of your call

Get your call strategy right!

Nobody should be allowed off your phone unless you know what will happen next

1

Nobody gets literature or documentation unless I know what they will next do as a

result of receiving it

2

Always ask for a commitment to move the call forward to the next step

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take – W, Gretzky

3

Remember

Once you the prospects hangs up you have lost your opportunity to directly influence their thinking

What does a good commitment look like?

A clear statement of intent from the prospect .. Including

1. Clarification of where they think you are at the moment.2. Direction of what they will do between now and the next time you talk.3. The output they will bring to the next conversation inclusive of buy in from various members of their decision making team (if required)4. A specific time and date for next steps.5. And sometimes contingent commitments where you have verbally discussed issues but the prospect wants to ‘see it’ in writing.

Or put it another way ... They verbally commit

• To move to the next stage• That your company option is the one the want to

move forward with• What they steps they will complete between now

and next call• Who else they need to influence / get involved

between now and the next call• What you can expect from them on the next call

How to ask for commitment    

“Based on what you are saying, it sounds like the next logical step will be to get a demo in your office before month end . What do you think?’ 

Tip 1: Link it to the prospect’s feedback

“So what you are saying is that you like the concept and price in principle but you need to see it in writing. So yes I will be delighted to send you on a high level outline in writing. Can I ask if the document is to your liking what will happen then?”

Contingent Commitment

“Great John, before our call next Tuesday you’ll have spoken with your Finance Director. What will you be recommending to her?”

Moving higher in the decision making unit

Key points remember

• Commitments need to be direct and explicit• You are entitled to ask for one so you should• Always link it to prospects priorities • Assign homework between now and next meeting• Never send documentation without getting contingent

commitments in advance of sending them• Plan your desired call outcomes• Focus on movement of every call to its furthest point

“A person’s greatness lies in their ability to challenge their own thinking”

www.evolve.ie

davemalonesalescoach