Does Your Prospect Have the Ability to Tell You “Yes?”

From Recruitment Specialist & Sales Development Expert, Alex Cole-Murphy

Don’t let anyone tell you “no” unless they also have the power to tell you “yes.” You don’t want to find yourself presenting to prospects who lack the power to make buying decisions. If they can’t tell you yes, it’s time to find the person who can: the decision-maker. Watch the video below to learn about the 5 sales benefits of calling the top when you prospect. 

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Video Transcript: 

Don’t let anyone tell you “no” unless they also have the power to tell you “yes” 

Too many people wind up presenting to prospects who lack the authority to actually make the buying decision. We understand that sometimes the prospects you talk and meet with have been tasked with finding and vetting a product or solution for their company. Even though they run with the responsibility, there is still someone behind the curtain that has to sign off.  

And we know that if we don’t have the money person’s stamp of approval, the likelihood of winning a particular piece of business goes down dramatically. They haven’t had the opportunity to fall in love with your solution like the front person has. You aren’t in the final decision conversations to answer their specific questions and concerns. You have to rely on your main point of contact to effectively carry your message, and that’s a hard job for anyone.   

There are five sales benefits of calling at the top when you prospect: 

1. You will have the attention of the ultimate decision-maker of the sale 

1. You will shorten your sales cycle as a result of being with the decision-maker 

1. When you run into problems with people that manage or administer your program, service, or product you have a relationship with someone that can fix the problem. 

1. If the problems you uncover are real problems you will be in front of the person that will find the money to fix the problem and complete the sale 

1. When you call at the top you will know if a current relationship will derail you from getting the sale. 

So when you are in front of a prospect that doesn’t have the power to say “yes” to the business, budget, timeline, or process you need to push back. Start by asking “who else has to fall in love with this solution before we can move forward?” or “who else is going to be impacted by this decision?” Likely there are others involved and it is your job to find out who they are and how to get in front of them. This can be a sensitive conversation because, again, your lead person has been tasked with having this conversation and it is their responsibility so we want to nurture that.  If they object, gently remind them that your primary objective is to be the expert and a resource for identifying the proper solution for their needs. Your job is to answer those difficult or technical questions that they might encounter and they shouldn’t have to carry that responsibility.   

At the end of the day, you still may never be able to get to the real decision-maker but you now have a process and skills to help eliminate that possibility. Remember, you are in control of your sales process. And sometimes that means walking away from a prospect that doesn’t have the ability to tell you “yes”.