One question I’ve been asked a lot by sales people recently…

Is…

“How do I create a sense of urgency in my prospects and customers?” 

I usually respond with a stupid question, “What’s making this important for you right now?”

I then usually hear a chuckle followed by, “Well we’re right into Q4 now and year end quotas are looming large”

Candidly it’s a conversation I don’t particularly enjoy because the urgency the salesperson wants to create is almost exclusively on their agenda which whilst understandable isn’t really helpful for seller or customer.

The optimal way to create urgency client side is with a compelling value proposition; successful sales people totally understand this. 

Compelling SVP’s are not usually created in Q4 unless the sales person is na?ve enough to offer a substantial discount to the customer and the corporate world is full of procurement professionals who lurk in Q4 like crocodiles along the River Nile in the Rift Valley waiting for a naive sales Wildebeest to dip there head in the water for a refreshing drink, only to pounce and draw them into the deep water of discounts and concessions with the promise of a Q4 contract signing!

My feedback to sales people is that a well executed mutual action plan that’s shared with the client at the earliest possible point in the sales cycle negates the search for a Q4 miracle and stops them being up to their knees in crocodiles at year end!

I know this is not that answer that many sales people want to hear but there will be many other Q4’s that they can have 100% control over through +ve behaviour changes so start today and own all your future Q4’s!

#Stay Positive

#Stay Active

?# Stay on your customers agenda