There are key clues that identify when a customer is ready to listen that can help reveal the best time to present a proposal.
The one constant that professionals can rely on, is that customers buy at a time when they perceive a difference between their current situation and the situation they want or need to be in.
Understanding the stakeholder's perception of the company's needs is the key to determining when to present your solution.
Trouble can be good
A sense of urgency in your customers can be a green light for proposing your solution. This urgency can come from either a positive or negative situation, such as preventing or fixing something or an enthusiasm to grow.
Understand that the mode of a customer is not always the mode of the company. Also understand that because these clients are in a prime position to implement a change, there is a possibility they may not choose yours.
- Some customers are convinced that a change needs to take place in order to grow the organisation's current productivity. They believe they can eliminate such a problem through improved results.
During conversations with prospects in the manufacturing industry, for instance, you may hear dialogue that indicates a rising production quota, more orders coming in than products available in inventory, or a recent initiative to step-up quality.
- Beyond urgency is trouble, which is good for salespeople, despite the negative implication for customers. When a customer is in dire need for an immediate change, to reverse or prevent a company defeat, they will be hurriedly seeking a solution. Such trouble will have customers attempting to right their wrongs and looking to get back to status quo.
Note the customer's pace in the sales process and whether they seem to be responding positively without knowing all the information. Success in this scenario can result in a great win-win outcome that can lead to future business as well.
- Watch for words that reveal the varying levels of urgency - more, better, faster, improved - to discover if the prospect is looking for growth or attempting to avert trouble.
Confidence can be difficult
Successful salespeople know that buyers who don't recognise a need for change are less likely to seek a solution. A client having difficulty seeing the value of a solution in general, will require more time discussing its value. Recognising key indicators, to adjust what your client needs to hear, provides a greater opportunity to achieve a win for both parties.
- Customers firmly entrenched within the current process don't see a pressing need for change, regardless of the improvement or increased results your solution may bring. Only the vision of oncoming need for change, pressure from other buyers within the sale, or a clear demonstration from you that there is a need for your solution, will budge them from this stark hesitancy.
- Others may be overconfident in their current situation. Because these customers feel they're doing better than anticipated, there is no motivation to change. They may misunderstand their situation, due to wishful thinking or an honest ignorance to its reality. You may find they see you as crazy for proposing an alteration to the way things are done.
- Customers who are fiercely protective of the status quo and question the validity of your solution, are considered overconfident and are often happy holding steady with their circumstances.