Danny Wood

When a prospect asks you to set up a presentation, do you instantly agree? Lots of sellers do. Sometimes it’s because they’re excited about the possibility of engaging with a person or group, they haven’t been able to connect with.  But if the presentation results in “Let us think about it,” you’ve wasted time, even if it does put you in front of new people.

There’s one simple, easy-to-pose question that will, if you use it consistently, simultaneously improve your closing ratio, shorten your sales cycle, and deepen your relationship and impact within the buying organization. And yet salespeople hardly ever ask this question.

A critical part of sales qualification is uncovering the buyer’s budget - the investment. Salespeople are often uncomfortable asking a decision-maker how much money is available to solve a problem. The big question is: Why are so many salespeople so resistant to initiating this discussion?

And the answer is: there is a monster under their bed.