Critical Missing Sales Step

Businesses that do great marketing and sales have a well written marketing plan, with a killer sales offering, a compelling message, and effective marketing and sales materials. As part of the marketing plan, one or more sales people may be charged with face-to-face marketing with key referral sources. During these sales attempts, the marketer / sales person will try to get time with key decision makers. They will hopefully present the sales materials (brochures, booklets, presentations, etc.) in a way that compels the decision maker to send them more new business / customers.

But, with the potential high cost of marketing and sales, and in spite of the effective sales materials, the effort to reach decision makers, and even with having what you think is a spectacular marketing / sales person, if the following critical sales step is missed, the entire cost and effort could result in a frustrating and damaging nothing. What is this critical missing step?

Always Ask For The New Business. Always Ask For The Sale. Always Ask For The Referral.

Yes - you must ask if you want to receive. This seems so obvious, but the number of sales attempts that end without actually asking for the business is shocking. This sometimes happens when the sales / marketing person is intimated by the decision maker, so you must hire someone for this position who is not only very skilled, but very confident (almost cocky). It also happens when the sales person is not trained on effective sales techniques or even worse - when the sales person simply doesn't believe in your product. In the first case, you need to make sure your sales team is highly trained. In the last case, you just have the wrong person in that key position. Get someone else fast.

Asking for the new business can dramatically improve your sales effectiveness. While there's a lot that plays into this step (enough to write an entire entry on the subject) you must be aware that your sales / marketing team may not be doing it, and this is hurting your business. Make this part of your marketing and sales policies. In policy, you should clearly mandate that asking for the business is part of the sales and marketing process. Asking for the business should also be found in your marketing and sales materials. Do not take it for granted that your customers will do business with you just because you have good materials and good people. Instead, always ask for them to do business with you.