Years back, I sat down with a facilities manager who had a real problem and a budget that couldn't come close to solving it.
I had the full program ready to go. Top of the line, do it right and do it once. That's what I led with on every call back then, because I thought handing somebody the best possible option was the honest thing to do.
About twenty minutes in, it was clear she couldn't buy it. Not wouldn't. Couldn't. The money had been committed somewhere else back in the spring, and she was holding things together until the new fiscal year.
So I stopped. I told her she didn't need the whole thing yet, walked her through something much smaller that would get her to Q3, and said we could have the real conversation later.
I sold her about a fifth of what I came in there to sell, and I've been working with her ever since.
Today, we go over:
Why the tiny promises matter more than anything you'll say in a pitch.
The thing your buyer mentioned once that you should be writing down.
Why telling somebody they don't need what you're selling will get you more work, not less.
Do What You Said You'd Do
"I'll get that over to you today."
Say it, then actually do it, and nothing happens. Nobody thanks you for it. As far as you can tell it didn't register at all.
Send it Thursday and something does happen, but you won't see that either.
Here's what I've come around to after a lot of years of this. Early on, a prospect has no real way to judge you. They haven't watched your crew work. They don't know how you handle it when something goes sideways at six in the morning, which eventually it will. All they've got to go on is the handful of small interactions before they decide.
So that's what they use. Not on purpose. It just happens.
You said Tuesday and you called Tuesday. You said the proposal was coming and it came. None of that is really about the proposal. That's somebody trying to figure out what the next three years of working with you is going to feel like.
Remember What They Told You
An operations director I work with mentioned on a call that she was down two people on her night shift and it was affecting her work-life balance. I wrote down a note that had nothing to do with me or what I sell.
Next time we talked, I asked if she'd filled those spots. She hadn't. We spent ten minutes on it, and she felt comfortable getting her frustration out for a moment.
Why does this matter? She knew I'd been listening, and more than that, she knew she'd stayed in my head after the call ended. Our relationship became more than just what I could sell her.
Most reps take notes on the deal. Budget, timeline, who signs off. Try taking notes on the person instead. One thing per call that has nothing to do with business. Then bring it up later. Not as a technique. If you're running it as a technique, they'll pick up on it. Bring it up because you actually wanted to know.
Tell Them When You Aren’t The Right Fit
Back to that facilities manager for a second.
The reason that meeting stuck with me is that the second I started to work with her, rather than push the biggest program we offer, the dynamic changed. She stopped treating me like I was just there for her money. That made her come back for help the next time she needed it, because a trust was built between us.
What I eventually figured out from working with bigger companies is that they don't always want the best option. Being straight about what somebody doesn't need yet costs you a smaller deal today. But it's also how I’ve built strong client relationships and made more money in the long run.
Here's the thing about all three of these:
Almost nobody loses a client in some big dramatic moment. There's rarely a blowup or a competitor swooping in with a better number. It's quieter than that. An email slides down the list and then off it. A detail gets forgotten. Somebody gets sold a little more than they needed and never quite trusts you the same way again.
And you usually don't find out until the client is already working with somebody else.
Are You Ready to Listen Your Way to More Sales?
Improve your listening skills with our Active Listening Sales Guide!
We’ve created a free downloadable guide that includes:
The 80/20 Listening Challenge – A step-by-step exercise to help you listen more effectively in your next sales call.
A Salesperson’s Listening Checklist – Your go-to resource for better conversations and higher conversions.
WANT TO EXPLORE FURTHER?
Take Your Sales to the Next Level with Relationship Intelligence.
Want to master the art of selling without being pushy? Top sales professionals don’t just sell, they build relationships that last. That’s why we created Sales Mastery - Relationship Intelligence, the ultimate training to take you to the next level of sales mastery.
Until next time:
If you've got someone in mind who's good at the work but keeps letting the small stuff slide, send them this one.
Keep learning,
Better Relationships. Better Conversations. Better Sales.