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The Advisory Partnership reports on the dangers of over-promising our operational commitments when we're caught in the middle of a sales pitch 'high'.
We’ve all been there. It’s a good meeting. The rapport is strong. The client has the problem and we have the solution. We’re already mentally registering the sale and toasting our success.
Then comes the question:
Is it possible for you to include an additional feature, product or service?
And we say, "Sure! No problem".
It’s all too easy to be drunk on a sales pitch high and say yes to things we’ll regret the next day.
We do this for two reasons; one is our eagerness to please our new client and the other, darker reason is the fear that we’ll lose the sale or the client’s respect if we don’t agree to everything immediately.
But all too often when we answer ‘no problem’ we’re really just taking an indirect route to a disappointed client and we simply reveal our own failure to adequately convert an opportunity into a profitable sale that is easily implemented.
Keep in mind that it is often a closing negotiation tactic of the client to get more of our product and service for either the same price or a faster turnaround. It is not at all accidental that the question comes towards the end of the negotiation when we may have begun to let down our guard.
Everyone wants a project that is well managed, cost effective and operationally efficient. So, here's how we deal with the situation.
We need to see the client's last minute question as a new brief and to be confident that, in the end, we’ll be respected for taking the time to consider the answer and to revise our offer if necessary.
This is where we must stop and think. We may have arrived at our meeting with a beautifully balanced business case for the project that we are about to sell but in one single word, we can turn that profit into pain.
The end result of making unrealistic promises is a place nobody wants to be.
So, before saying yes to what is an extended brief, we have to take the time to think through the effects on our team’s existing commitments. If we take on work than can’t be delivered effectively, then it's directly connected to our operational efficiency and therefore our business' bottom line. It's impossible to do a profitability analysis on the spot so it's smart to leave the matter and respond promptly after the meeting.
Failure to do this, inevitably leads to project failure which can impact our reputation in the market and undermine the revenue growth we thought we had already achieved when we said ‘yes’ in the first place!
So in this situation, if you truly know the answer then of course you say it but if you’re at all unsure, agree to respond later. When you respond with a new, carefully crafted proposal, you will ensure not only your profitability but also your own ability to deliver effectively. Hopefully you'll also be building a long and trusted relationship with your client in the process.
The Advisory Partnership assists its clients with effectiveness reviews that remove barriers to growth and international business development.
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