How to avoid stalled sales opportunities

One of the top challenges in b2b sales is stalled opportunities.?

Even with a qualified sales opportunity, where the problem is clear and there's significant evidence that it exists and negatively impacts your client's business, you cannot help your client if they're unwilling to commit the right resources.

The three crucial resources are?time, people and money.

You want to know?very early on?if there is an overlap between what your clients feel is necessary and what you think is required to get a solution that exactly meets their needs.

Here’s what to say to help you have an open and realistic conversation with your client without being pushy.

You have just discussed the opportunity with your client, who agreed it is worth pursuing.?

Here’s what to say and why it works.

Time

• When were you hoping to get started?
• What kind of time frame are we working with?
• What is the date you hope to have these results in place?

?Why it works:

You’re not pushing for a commitment or trying to close the deal. You’re simply finding out?what works for your client and ensuring that you are both on the same page.?

?It’s a red flag if:

1. It’s too soon. Not realistic.
2. Too far into the future. You know that it won’t be in next quarter’s forecast!
3. Timing is undefined. Then, you need to qualify more if this is not a priority.

People

• How are you allocating your team members for this project?
• Do you have preliminary thoughts about how we should divide the effort between our team?
• How do you envision our teams collaborating on this project? Have you considered the roles or responsibilities?

?Why it works:

First, you would want to know who the other stakeholders and members are.?

Second, how will your client divide the effort and responsibilities between them and your company? You are not trying to get into specific details or daily activities.?

You want a?rough sense of the involved stakeholders and your client’s criteria for success.

Money:

• Have you run your numbers for this project?
• Have you established a budget for this project?
• Have you thought about what level of investment is appropriate for the results we’ve discussed?

?Why it works:

If you walk out of qualifying meetings with clients and don’t know how much they’re thinking of spending—and they don’t know how much you’re charging—you’ll both be guessing. No guessing!?

The first time you discuss pricing with your client should not be when you present a proposal. Guessing is unnecessary and costly.

At this point in the conversation, you are not negotiating. You are qualifying if it’s a?value issue?or a?logistic issue.?I wrote about how to talk about pricing?here.?

Which questions do you see yourself using most? What’s resonating with you? What are you most excited to try?

I’d love to hear from you. If you want more of these articles, you can find more resources here:https://page.salescuriosityclub.com

Thanks for reading,

Ren