marketing & sales: Make Decisions Easier for Your Prospects

So even if you have a big idea, be realistic with your prospects. Talk about starting small. Show them how you can get started, demonstrate your success and build from there. For example, you could:

• Propose an initial assessment to understand the scope of the problem.

• Tackle a small problem where you could demonstrate immediate short-term results.

• Focus on bringing in just one of your products, services or solutions.

• Suggest a change in only one of the departments or a single facility.

Going for the whole shebang at once makes things more difficult. And when you're working with frayed customers, that's a setup for having your opportunity get derailed, delayed or dismissed forever.

But once you get your foot in the door, the hardest part is over. If you do a good job on your initial piece of business, it will be logical for your prospect to move to the next stage with your company.

Root Out All Complexity. In many cases, your prospects don't know what to look for or how to decide. If things get complicated, they'll quit.

That's why it's imperative for you and your company to ask these questions all the time:

• At which point do our prospects tip into overwhelm?

• What complexities grind decisions to a halt?

• How can we minimize decision-making risk?

Discuss these questions with your colleagues. Observe what happens in conversations with your prospects. Talk to your existing customers to get their feedback.

(Excerpted from SNAP Selling)

By Jill Konrath

Jill Konrath is the author of SNAP Selling (#1 Amazon sales book) and Selling to Big Companies, a Fortune "must read" selection. As a frequent speaker at sales conferences, she helps sellers speed up sales cycles and win big contracts. For more fresh sales strategies that work with today's crazy-busy prospects and to get four free sales-accelerating tools, visit www.snapselling.com.