The Best Sales Calls Start Before the Call

Saw a post telling sales reps they need to ask for the sale more.

So here's an [edited] word vomit on why I think that while yes,

under the CURRENT state of most high-ticket offers,

I agree that asking for the sale is probably necessary,

I don't believe it SHOULD have to be.

I think as an industry we've just gotten so accustomed to broken processes that we've confused compensating for them with being good at sales.

Now, do I think it's WRONG to ask for the sale?

No.

Do I think there's a better way to structure the entire process so that asking becomes the exception rather than the rule?

I certaintly do.

But before all the naysayers start pounding the keyboard, hear me out.

Yes, I take sales calls and track my numbers.

I've explicitly asked for the sale on only 1.6% of my sales calls.

And by "asking for the sale," I mean something along the lines of:

"Hey, are you ready to get started?"

Even THOSE instances were intuitive decisions based on where the conversation was going.

I could tell the people I were talking to needed me to ask.

Because yes, there ARE people who need you to ask.

Some people genuinely don't know how to say yes unless you give them that opening.

But that's a very small fraction of people in my experience.

So how does that work?

So glad you asked.

When marketing does what it's SUPPOSED to do,

a.k.a. your brand speaks for itself to the right people at the right time,

selling becomes a WHOLE lot more straightforward.

The entire posture and orientation of the sales call can change for the better.

For context, my business is 100% organic and referral-based.

I don't run ads. Never have.

And no, I may not make millions and millions of dollars,

but I make enough to show up to the casino again tomorrow,

which is perfectly fine with me.

Here's how my process works.

I don't ask people to book calls.

When someone reaches out to me, I give them a link that has ALL my information on it.

What I do, how I work, what I charge, and a place to book a call IF they want to.

And guess what?

They book.

Not everybody, obviously. And that's OK.

You're never gonna get everybody no matter what you do.

That's not the point.

The point is to DQ, and DQ EARLY.

Weeding out the clearly BAD fits before they even waste your time is how you make more dollars per lead and maximize everyone's time.

And one of the easiest ways to disqualify somebody?

EDUCATE THEM.

Give them enough information to make an informed decision and many of the bad fits will disqualify themselves before they ever get on your calendar.

People are better at making decisions for themselves than we are for them.

Period.

And the people who DO book?

They're already coming into the conversation with a pretty darn good understanding of what I do, how I work, and what it's going to cost them.

They're already largely bought in

(The "90%" sold I talk about? Yeah, thats it right there).

Which is exactly why I rarely need to ask for the sale.

People know how to buy stuff.

We have NO problem buying stuff.

Heck, we LOVE buying stuff.

I'm including myself in that.

We love spending money. It's fun. We WANT to spend money on things we actually want.

So this whole notion that you HAVE to explicitly ask someone to get started or you're somehow not selling correctly?

I don't buy it.

Are there times when it's warranted?

Of course.

But as a STANDARD?

Absolutely not.

And I think this is just ANOTHER thing sales reps are being trained to compensate for because of shaky, unsatisfying, and perpetually weak and lack-luster marketing.

Buyers aren't being properly warmed up.

They don't know enough about the offer.

They haven't developed enough trust.

And then the rep gets on the call and is expected to manufacture ALL of that AND get the person to buy.

Your sales calls should NOT be a cage match.

They should be EXTREAMLY consultative.

They should be an actual CONVERSATION.

And when someone is already 90% bought in before they even get on the phone,

you don't need to spend an hour trying to convince them they should want something they already decided they want.

And that btw, is how you double your close rate over night...stop talking to the wrong people.

You just need to help them figure out whether it's actually right for them.

Don't fall prey to this notion that if sales isn't hard, you're somehow doing it wrong.

I've said this a million times, and I'll keep saying it.

The hardest part of selling isn't selling.

It's making it EASY to sell.