BlogA great closing question
One Minute Pause no 29
When we are selling our products or services to people, we are often after the big ticket sale - expensive purchases, large contracts, long periods of consultancy, complicated projects.
The rewards are great, but there’s a downside - the bigger and more complicated the sale, the harder it can be for prospective customers to buy with certainty.
A good salesperson will pave the sales road with proof, such as examples of other satisfied clients.
But you are still asking customers to take a leap of faith that, if ultimately wrong, could negatively impact their standing in their company.
Which is why I like the concept of tiny jobs.
Mike Southon http://mikesouthon.com/, has written some excellent books on sales and entrepreneurship.
Mike first introduced me to the “tiny jobs” concept and I like it.
In a nutshell, it is suggesting to the prospective client something like this: “What is the smallest possible job that you can give me that will prove our value to you for a price that you think is reasonable?”
Mike maintains that if they are serious about buying, then they might just take you up on your tiny job offer.
If you do the tiny job well, then it will make it easier for them to make a positive decision to move more business your way.
I wish I had used this closing line more when I was in advertising sales.
I seemed to be forever chasing big contracts, and pitching against dozens of other companies who were all saying pretty much the same things.
In hindsight I was always asking the customer to take a large leap of faith.
It could have been a different world if we had proven ourselves with a tiny job in the weeks or months leading up to the pitch.
Try this refreshingly different approach next time you are in the closing end of a sale, and let me know how you get on!
