CHRISISM #13 - Red Lights / Green Lights

29 March 2016

The sales process is like driving down a long straight road where the only potential hazards are traffic lights. All you have to do to arrive at your destination/complete the business is to recognise red lights and green lights and take the appropriate action at each of them i.e. stop at a red light and get going when it turns green and keep going at green lights.

Let's take a look at the two most common red lights in the sales process:-

1)    Negative body language - this is most common when a potential client first sits alongside you at the first client meeting (N.B. not across a desk or a table from you - see a future Chrisism for an explanation of this!). As an extreme example, if they sit down with their fists clenched, their nearside leg crossed, their nearside shoulder turned away and their arms crossed, this is the "Ok, so what's it all about?" position and it represents a clear red light. So what must you do? Stop! Now you need to do whatever is necessary to relax your client, namely talk about anything but business and preferably get them to talk about themselves. Only when the negative body language signals have disappeared i.e. the light has turned green can you start to talk business.

2)    Objections - when you get an objection (whether it be on the phone or face to face) you must stop and handle the objection. Once you have handled the objection satisfactorily, thereby turning the light green, you must get going again i.e. ask for the appointment or ask for the business, because if you hang around at the green light, what will eventually happen? The light will turn red again i.e. you will get another objection. 

The only difference between the sales process and driving down a long straight road with traffic lights is that, in the sales process, there is no such thing as an amber light - they are either red or green. Most drivers who come to an amber light will keep going as if it was green and sometimes advisers mistake what is actually a red light in the sales process for an amber light and keep going, thereby leaving an escape route open for the client down the track.

Let me give you an example. There will be many occasions (or should be anyway!) in the sales process when you ask a client for their agreement with something or their commitment to something. If they respond with anything other than 100% agreement or commitment, this is a red light, which means you need to stop and go that extra yard to get the client’s 100% agreement or commitment.

A common example of an "amber light" is when you ask a client for their agreement on or commitment to something and, instead of giving you an unequivocal "Yes, they say something like "Probably". This is a red light and it only turns green when the client says "Yes".

As far as green lights are concerned, the main thing to remember is to keep going when encountering green lights because if you stop at a green light, then it is only a matter of time until it turns red! The most obvious example of stopping at a green light is when a client is clearly ready and willing to go ahead and do business, but the business still doesn't eventuate - why? Because you didn't ask for it! Remember - it is much more preferable to ask for the business too early and have to provide more information or reassurance before it is concluded than to ask for the business too late (when the client has run out of time) or not at all (when the client has run out of inclination!)

Red lights/Green lights is just one of 5 "Building Blocks of Closing Business" that makes up just one of 7 sessions in my upcoming "Client Acquisition & Engagement Skills" workshops around the country. Click on your relevant capital below to register.

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