11th Hour, The

How many times have you thought you were about to close a big sale to find that the client had many questions and objections at the last minute? Author Jeff Thull explains how to ensure that these 11th hour surprises becomes a thing of the past ....

One of the myths of negotiation is the last stage of the sale-the "Close" implies a struggle back and forth with the client. But in reality, trading at its best consists of open, honest based on mutual respect and trust. It begins with the first conversation and continues throughout the relationship. We refer to this as the process of "diagnosis". When using this process, it is not necessary high pressure, the last trading minute. Few, if any, objections arise immediately before the transaction becomes final and there is no need to "showdown" in the eleventh hour.

It is difficult for sellers to understand. "What? No objections?" No negotiation? "Please note that I do not say" no negotiation. " I said no negotiations at the 11th hour.

Negotiation takes on a new definition when using the diagnostic process, which focuses on a clear and accurate communication and collaboration, a continuous series of agreements and mutual understanding. A collaborative approach eliminates the dependency on closing and the traditional skills of handling objections. When a customer receives your proposal, you and your customer have come to common conclusions and understanding of all key elements involved in the transaction. You have reached agreement on the nature and financial impact of customer problems, your mutual expectations, the financial value of the solution, and criteria for selecting a high quality solution. In short, the client will have agreed to each element of a quality decision making. There should be no surprise 11:00.

Let's take a deeper look at this quality decision making. The first decision element revolves around the realization that the customer has some consequences due to the absence of the value your solution could provide. Consider a function of your solution that you believe to be one with the most valuable and strongest competitive position. Ask yourself, "How the absence of my product or service affects the business of my client? Think of yourself as a doctor. First diagnose the symptoms caused by the absence of your product or service. Then go to the next question "What are the consequences of symptoms?" or "Is it serious?

The next decision revolves around determining the financial impact of the problem. It is important to give your client a process that will guide them through measuring the financial impact of the problem, as the doctor can perform tests to determine the extent of patient symptoms. We refer to what the cost "of the problem." If you do not have a cost problem, it is not a problem. In other words, if you can not help your client to measure the financial impact of the problem, your solution addresses, it can not measure the value of your solution and will therefore not very likely to buy .

Once the cost of the problem has been agreed, the client must decide, "The situation is serious enough to require me to act? Is this a priority?" After these decisions are mutually agreed, we have "negotiated" away a high percentage of objections traditionally we hear and those that could lead to a "no sale." A large number of objections arise because the client receives a presentation or proposal before these decisions are taken.

Think about it, how many times have you submitted a proposal to a client before he decided he had a problem? How many times have we given a proposal to someone who said he had the kind of problem we have to solve, but he did not know how this problem is cost.