In a recent training, a sales professional commented, “You know, it’s funny that we guide our clients through the entire sales process and we’re right there alongside them but after we send them the proposal it’s like we drop them off a cliff and leave them on their own.
”What if you put as much design into the process of your prospects making a decision as you did the early parts of your sales process and customer experience journey?
It’s amazing how often organizations we work with have overlooked the “Decision” step of their buyer journey. It’s a giant opportunity to stand out from the competition, create a unique and meaningful experience, and close more of the right kind of business.
Here are a few tips for designing the Decision step for your prospects:
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People often don’t know how to buy what you sell (unless they are buying what you sell over and over, which is rarely the case).
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And as a result, people have a difficult time making the decision among various options.
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Design a Decision step that is both on-brand for your company, but also delightful in surprising ways to your clients
For example, during our Decision step we’ve often had food involved and created a Memorable Moment where we do a toast with a beverage of their choice. It’s fun and meaningful to them.
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Create a “no-pressure zone” – we create a “no-pressure zone” for our clients so they can talk out the pros and cons of a decision with us in the room. What that means is that we are NOT armwrestling them into going with our solution. Rather, we’re coming alongside them as helpful guides, pointing them to the best solution for them even if it means we point them in a different direction. Even if we lose the business as a result, we’d rather help them succeed.
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People will do what’s “normal.” In other words, if it’s normal that people make a decision in particular meeting, then people will tend to be comfortable with that as long as the expectation is clear.
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Again, we’re not talking about putting pressure on people. We’re talking about helping them along their journey. When done well, it should feel like the opposite of pressure.
Where might you reimagine your client’s Decision step? What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain?
