Whether you’re selling products, services or ideas, your success depends on your ability to lead and influence the actions of others. That ability requires a sense of timing. In the words of the late sales guru and author, Bill Brooks:
“People buy when they’re ready to buy. Not when you need to make a sale.”
When you need to make a sale, your eagerness works against you. When people sense pressure, they instinctively apply their brakes. Once a decision maker applies the brakes, the decision-making process slows down and takes longer than it otherwise would have.
Everyone’s thought process moves at their own rate of speed. When you attempt to drive your ideas too fast for conditions, you will be cited for exceeding the other person’s speed limit. The catch is that you won’t receive a written citation or ticket. There is no formal traffic court. But you can still be convicted of speeding in the mind of your prospective buyer. More simply stated: haste makes waste so fast is slow.
Skilled influencers possess an empathetic sense of timing. Their skills enable them to both sense and uncover the relative readiness of their prospects. They adjust to the non-posted speed limit by slowing down to keep pace with the relative readiness of their recipient. They help their buyers examine their priorities. They reach their decision destination faster when no braking occurs. Slow is fast.
If you avoid pressure and proceed too slowly, might you lose a sale? The answer lies in another selling axiom:
You can’t lose something you never really had.
Selling Ice Cubes to Eskimos: Not all it’s cracked up to be.
Tom Lemanski helps accomplished leaders unlock potential, solve complex challenges, and amplify their impact.
Effective leadership is the key to driving meaningful, lasting success in a fast-changing world.
Tom’s focus on innovative strategies and self-awareness creates transformative results for leaders striving for the next level.
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