Speed up your sales cycles with these 3 things

Are your deals dragging on for longer than they should? If so, instead of just following up with buyers to get updates you can use three things I’m about to share with you to build urgency without being pushy.

I’ve wanted to buy a 3-in-1 charger for a year now - and a month ago I finally got one. I swear this has something to do with speeding up your sales cycles - hear me out! Back to the story: if you’d have started chasing me the first time I looked your charger you would have been frustrated that I haven’t placed an order within a week. After all it was only 40 Euros and with free shipping! A year later I finally got one! Why did I buy one in the end, and more importantly, why did I wait so long?

I hate cables dangling around but I need three to charge my phone, airpods, and watch. My desk was a mess. Clear pain, right? This is when many start pitching. But I was getting the job done without this fancy little thing and I’m an essentialist. I’m not gonna spend my savings just because I can afford it. So I placed it on my wish list and left it there.

But something made me buy, right? Something changed. What was it?

I was going on a business trip on a budget. Hotel prices were crazy and food is life so I’m not gonna save on that. I had to find another way to keep expenses in check. I was only gone for a few days so I thought let’s go with a single backpack and save 80 euros on extra carry on luggage. Now comes the issue. I could barely fit everything I needed and definitely didn’t have space for three adapters. If I didn’t find a way to fit into my bag I’m going to forego 80 euros in additional costs. I had a clear Cost of Inaction.

I could have done a number of things. Carry fewer clothes, travel with my pockets full of stuff, stay at a hostel, or just pay up and take more stuff with me. Whatever it was I had 2 weeks until the trip. That was my Critical Event. A future date by which if I don’t deliver Impact, fitting into my backpack, I’ll be forced to forego Cost of Inaction. And maybe I was fine with that.

But I thought, hey, this little thing costs half of what the cost of inaction would be and I get the added benefit of improving my day to day happiness. So I went ahead and placed an order.

This is the exact same thought process your buyers are going through in B2B sales. Only the problems are bigger and more stakeholders are involved in the decision.

So next time you’re on a discovery call remember this. The three things you need to build urgency are: an identified pain, a critical event, and a cost of inaction. Even better if you can uncover a clear impact that gets your buyers closer to their goals. Look for these on your next discovery call and you’ll be on your way to crushing your quota.

And if you want more tips like this, hit subscribe! I cover topics from prospecting to closing and I’ve been doing this for 10 years. When you’re done, check out my discovery deep dive video from a while back. It covers everything you need to know about running discovery calls from start to finish. See you there!

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