Close More Sales by Getting to the Decision-Maker

Have you ever done a great job with a prospect who was hurting, really wanted your services, had the money, but turned out not to be the decision maker? If you’ve been in sales for any length of time, then you’ve had this frustrating experience.

One of my clients who sells real estate would always tell me about the husband and wife dynamic in his world. He told me that for his entire career selling real estate—until he adopted the Game Plan Selling system—he lost sales because he wasn’t dealing with the real decision maker. He said that the most common scenario would be a husband acting like he called the shots, when in reality the wife had the final word.

The key is to avoid giving presentations to non-decision makers unless absolutely necessary. Most often, these people only have the power to say “no”; they don’t have the power to say “yes.” Always press to have all key decision-makers present before you present any type of solution.

Here are some questions you can ask to help you identify whether the prospect qualifies for your help:

1. “Who else is involved in making this decision?”
2. “Is there anyone else that we need to include in this conversation before we move forward?
3. “What is your decision-making process for this project?”

By asking these questions before giving the presentation, you are in a much stronger position.

By Marc Wayshak, America’s Sales Coach on Game Plan Selling. Learn about his Sales training in Boston.