“Yes, let’s do it".
He looks at me, and adds: "It’s a sale!”
I smile, pause, and tell him: “Well… it’s not a sale until the money is there”.
But no, he tells me he wants my help, and he’ll send the payment.
And that moment, when a potential client tells you "Yes!": that’s where things can go wrong SO easily.
When we hear a yes, we’re thrilled: a new client, new project, money coming your way… woohoo!
Right. But there’s a difference between saying yes, and doing yes.
And if we as the seller confuse the two, we can easily screw up a sale.
If we get all excited and cheery, and ask for a credit card number right then and there, or tell them we’ll send a proposal, because we assume that they buyer is ready to do yes, all kinds of things can go wrong.
The buyer could sense neediness, or they might feel you’re moving too fast – too much, too soon – or they might need to address a few things before proceeding. Can be anything.
Of course when a client sends you money, or signs an actual contract, then yes: of course you should cheer.
You’ve just landed a client, and you’ve got the payment or the contract to show for it, so by all means: buy yourself shoes or champagne or whatever spells ‘reward’ for you.
But very often, at the moment that someone says yes, your best reaction is often to slow down, and actually question the yes.
“Awesome. I’m happy to hear it. But before we move forward, let’s look at this again.
Are you 100% certain that this offer, in this configuration, at this time, is what you need?
Is there anything that would make it a no? Because it’s really important that you make this decision 100% convinced, and all in – so whatever issue or doubt you’d like to address first, this is a good time to do it.
Question the yes.
Take the pressure off, slow down.
Give your buyer a chance to stop and review their motivation.
Create space for them to reflect and review, and raise issues that haven’t been addressed properly yet.
The more you slow down the sale at the end, the more you enable the buyer to drive it forward, right when it matters most.