So here we are at the end of another month and quarter. Sales reps everywhere are pushing as hard as possible to create some last minute urgency to bring in those final deals.
I remember when I first started in my closing role, I would always say on the final day, "Why haven't they called me back, don't they know its the last day of the month?!". It wasn't until I got more and more months/quarters under my belt, and some coaching from my sales managers, that I realized something which has changed my selling behavior.
Nobody cares its the last day of the month or quarter.
It can be a tough reality to accept, especially on the last day of the month/quarter itself, but its true. Most of our prospects do not care.
The last selling day before quotas close is the Sales Reps timeline, and has nothing to do with our prospect. Assuming that each of our potential clients care when we have to hit our sales goal by, is an old school and ineffective way of thinking. Inbound Selling is all about aligning our selling process, with the way people buy. So here are some ways you can avoid the last day of the month/quarter scramble.
- Do an amazing job uncovering timeline
One of my previous sales managers had an amazing question to help uncover when a prospect might commit to making a decison by..."Whats the most important upcoming date on your calendar?". It allows you to step out of your sales sneakers, and really get into the prospects mindset. Is it an upcoming board meeting? Maybe they have a massive internal deadline they are working through, and won't be able to commit their full attention until it's off their plate. This simple question can help reps dig into what is going on in their prospects world, and clarify timeline to make a decision.
- Incentivise an earlier decision
Some of the best reps I have worked with are never worried on the last day of the month/quarter. They either know what deals are coming in and when, or they hit quota on the 20th, because they've discovered an important fact. The last selling day is just an arbitrary date. It means nothing. They chose to make their own quota deadline on the 15th or the 20th, and they treat that date as their own personal close of month or quarter. Start offering incentives to sign by mid-quarter or mid-month. Try it out, its amazing how a simple mindset shift makes a big difference.
- Build an implementation timeline with your prospect
Another successful method I have seen great reps use, is putting together a mutual timeline or start date with your prospect. This requires some really good discovery on goals and challenges though, so make sure you nail that Inbound Selling process. Hold a meeting with the prospect to discuss their goals and when they want to hit them by, then work backwards to when you would need to start working together, so they can't miss them! You also need to do a really good job here of explaining the "how you will help" piece too, so make sure you tie that directly to their goals.
So there you have it, 3 ways you can start nailing timeline a lot earlier than the last day of the month or quarter. The common theme here is you need to get on the same side of the table as your prospect, help uncover a timeline that makes sense for both parties.
Nobody likes chasing their number on the last day, and nobody likes getting those desperate hail mary price break emails either, so lets commit to selling better!
