Words of Wisdom on Major Account Selling

by Jack Carroll

Those of you who have read my thoughts before know that I am not shy or modest when it comes to closing or commitment. As a matter of fact, I feel that closing and commitment are the most important factors that distinguish sales from customer service. They are the great clarifiers in sales communications because they draw the customer out of a "passive status position" regarding the purchase of your product or service.

But it's much more delicate when selling or managing major accounts because you're dealing with more sophisticated buyers and team decisions in the buying process. If you try any of the body-slamming closing techniques so frequently recommended in the sales primers, you'll be thrown out the nearest door.

So what's a salesperson to do in order to bring things to a head and get commitment in a major sale or relationship?

One method I recommend is a sales strategy known as customer collaboration. Instead of closing and asking for the order as a single event or series of events, I recommend choreographing the entire buying/selling/solution providing process for the customer. Advise them what they need to do to make an intelligent, well-thought-out decision. Then get their buy off on walking down the path of that process together, cooperatively, with you. They have a problem. You have a solution. As a consultant, you have worked with many other customers enough times to have become somewhat of an expert in the investigative process for everyone involved in the sale.

So instead of directly asking for commitment to buy (a.k.a. closing), ask them for a commitment to follow a solution- oriented process, in order to understand whether or not they will benefit from your recommendations. And before doing so, ask for their conceptual commitment on taking positive action (buying) if the outcomes of the inquiry are positive and in their best interest.

The number one thing to avoid in any sales situation is not knowing where you stand in their decision-making process. Ignorance is NOT bliss in major account selling. When in doubt, ask them where you stand, so that you can do something about it if your position is weak. Being in the dark eliminates any possibility of recovery and ensures failure and loss of your precious time. We'll talk about conceptual commitment and the process of collaboration next time. In the meantime, have a great week selling and have some fun along the way. It makes things so much easier.

REPRINT PERMISSION (Copyright, 2000, Jack Carroll, Mentor Associates, Inc.) Reprint permission granted in whole or in part when the following credit appears: "Reprinted with permission from Jack Carroll's Words of Wisdom for Major Account Selling."