The Desert of Arizona
More Snow 17 Degrees
Today I’d like to help usher you through the emergency exit of a place I call “Next Step Purgatory.”
I don’t like this place. It’s full of people who chase after prospects… who “follow-up” about the proposal… who “touch base” about maybe working together… who are nervous and needy.
The feeling you get when you visit is one of anxiety and uncertainty. The people there never really know where they stand. Should they follow-up again? Why didn’t they hear back from the prospect? How long will they take to review the proposal? When they said “now” isn’t a good time, when IS a good time?
There’s a way to get out of this place. And surely, the solution is a foundational strategy of a sales pro. But giving credit where credit is due, I believe the first person who articulated this for me was Alan Weiss.
At any rate, there’s a mantra I’m going to recommend you memorize that will help you find the exit from this land.
(Yes, I understand there’s probably some writing rule recommending you don’t mix Roman Catholic doctrine with Hinduism and Buddhism all in the same email, but I’m a rebel… so we’re going to use a mantra to get out of purgatory. Ha!)
Like most issues in the client world, this visit to Next Step Purgatory is one that you initiate. In other words, you are the one that willingly goes here, even though you might hate it. Sorry for the bad news. It’s your fault!
So back to the mantra…
“Lift ye not your left foot until you knoweth where your right foot will land.”
In other words, never get off the phone or send an email with a prospect without setting up the plan for when the NEXT phone call or email will be.
This is a thought habit that eventually becomes a behavior habit. If you don’t already do it, you’ll probably forget a LOT before it gets permanently installed in your being.
But this simple thing can save you from an enormous amount of unnecessary stress and frustration.
Plus, it will drastically reduce the possibility that you will ever “chase” anyone.
You won’t have to, because you’ll always make sure you know when the NEXT STEP is happening.
Just don’t be meek about it. When the prospect says, “why don’t you follow-up in a little while?” you simply say, “I’m happy to reach out to you in a few weeks. Would the 13th at 9am or the 25th at 2pm be better for you?”
You’ve got to be specific. Dig until you get a specific next step. That’s the secret.