The whole category in one page.
YOUR REAL COMPETITOR IS INACTION, NOT ANOTHER SUPPLIER
Most deals are lost to no decision. What defeats that is urgency the buyer feels — the cost of their problem continuing, established in their own words, early.
ASK MORE THAN YOU TALK
The buyer should speak more than you in early conversations. The stated problem is rarely the real one, and one more question usually reveals it.
DISQUALIFY QUICKLY AND WITHOUT REGRET
Time on deals that will not close is the largest waste in selling, and a pipeline kept full for comfort conceals your actual position.
TRADE, NEVER CONCEDE
Every concession should buy something — a longer term, faster payment, a reference. Conceding when asked teaches that asking works, and discounting sets the baseline for every future negotiation.
WHEN THEY SAY IT COSTS TOO MUCH, FIND OUT WHICH THING THEY MEAN
Usually it is value not established, a cheaper alternative, or a test — rarely an inability to pay. Reduce scope rather than price.
ASK FOR THE ORDER, THEN STOP TALKING
Silence is where the decision happens; filling it reopens the discussion.
FOLLOW UP MORE THAN FEELS COMFORTABLE, WITH SOMETHING USEFUL EACH TIME — PERSISTENCE ALONE SEPARATES YOU FROM MOST COMPETITORS
NEVER PROMISE WHAT DOES NOT EXIST, BECAUSE THE SALE BECOMES A REFUND AND A COMPLAINT
AND ASK EVERY BUYER WHY YOU LOST, BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY FREE IMPROVEMENT AVAILABLE
