{"id":1542,"date":"2008-04-30T09:45:31","date_gmt":"2008-04-30T14:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/04\/shortening-the-sales-cycle\/"},"modified":"2008-04-30T09:37:25","modified_gmt":"2008-04-30T14:37:25","slug":"shortening-the-sales-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/04\/shortening-the-sales-cycle\/","title":{"rendered":"Shortening The Sales Cycle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Salesopedia.com offers a good article this week on a timely topic – How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle<\/a>.\u00a0 The author cuts to the quick on an issue we encounter frequently:<\/p>\n

To begin with, many sales people just don’t know how long their sales cycle is, we ask and we hear things like “depends” (sometime it fits), “it changes” (it always seems longer during Daylight Savings Time), and the all time favorite, “well you know it’s different in our business”. Well it’s not really.<\/p>\n
Underlying this is the fact that many reps and organizations do not know what their sale looks like, they have not deconstructing their sale, identified the basic building blocks to identify and truly understand what it should look like and when efficiencies can be had. One facet of this process is covered in “Working Backwards From Your Goals”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
True.\u00a0 We see this often when we start with a new customer by profiling their sale.\u00a0 It is amazing how few salespeople can define their sales cycle.\u00a0 Clearly it varies to some degree, but I always tell them their guess is better than mine.\u00a0 So how do you fix it?\u00a0 Simple:<\/p>\n
While there are a number of ways to affect the length of the sales cycle, by far the easiest to implement with the highest rate of return, no technology required, is to always secure a next step with your prospects.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This approach really is simple – it just takes a slight bit more effort to accomplish.\u00a0 Many salespeople end a call or meeting with some form of “I’ll call you next week.”\u00a0 That’s it.\u00a0 No clear next step, no future commitment, no clarity.\u00a0 The better approach is to ask this way, “I’ll call you next week.\u00a0 One thing, what topics should I be prepared to discuss?”\u00a0 That short question will do more to qualify an early-stage prospect than any other a salesperson could ask at that point.\u00a0 Yet, most do not use it.<\/p>\n
The author sums up this approach nicely:<\/p>\n
In most instances, a next step does not always have to be quantum leaps, just remember that even a small movement forward gets you that much closer to close. But if you don’t secure a next step, have you advanced at all?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Salesopedia.com offers a good article this week on a timely topic – How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle.\u00a0 The author cuts to the quick on an issue we encounter frequently: To begin with, many sales people just don’t know how long their sales cycle is, we ask and we hear things like “depends” (sometime it fits), “it changes” (it always seems longer during Daylight Savings Time), and the all time favorite, “well you know it’s different in our business”. Well it’s not really. Underlying this is the fact that many reps and organizations do not know what their sale looks like, they have not deconstructing their sale, identified the basic… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"","bgseo_robots_follow":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,9],"tags":[601,212,602,600,358,142,34,603],"class_list":["post-1542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sales-management","category-sales-techniques","tag-profile-a-sale","tag-sales-ability","tag-sales-cycle","tag-sales-process","tag-sales-skills","tag-sales-technique","tag-selling","tag-shorten-sales-cycle"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5Oho-oS","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1521,"url":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/04\/what-qualifications-determine-sales-success\/","url_meta":{"origin":1542,"position":0},"title":"What Qualifications Determine Sales Success?","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"April 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's what we often see from hiring managers or recruiters that focus on a wide variety of positions.\u00a0 They tend to look for qualifications in their sourcing activities.\u00a0 Obviously, this approach is warranted and required when sourcing for positions like accountants, medical personnel, IT, engineers\u00a0and so forth. But what about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hiring Salespeople"","block_context":{"text":"Hiring Salespeople","link":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/hiring-salespeople\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1576,"url":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/05\/pushing-the-sales-cycle\/","url_meta":{"origin":1542,"position":1},"title":"Pushing The Sales Cycle","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"May 16, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Salespeople are finely-tuned into the economy since it can have a direct impact on their wallet.\u00a0 The fact is many salespeople who falter during an economic downturn get let go.\u00a0 That is a lot of pressure to handle even for strong salespeople. ManageSmarter.com offers up this article - Chronicles of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Economy"","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/economy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1879,"url":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2009\/02\/levers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1542,"position":2},"title":"Levers","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"February 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"A lever is \u201can inducing or compelling force.\u201d\u00a0 Selling in a down economy is best handled through the use of levers.\u00a0 I recently discovered a lever with a material that has certain properties and uses that are not offered by the market leader in this space.\u00a0 The market leader has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sales Management"","block_context":{"text":"Sales Management","link":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":984,"url":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2007\/06\/accelerate-the-on-ramping-time-frame\/","url_meta":{"origin":1542,"position":3},"title":"Accelerate The On-Ramping Time Frame","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"June 7, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"SellingPower.com has released their monthly sales management newsletter which is usually filled with insightful articles. How Long Are Ya\u20ac\u2122 Gonna\u20ac\u2122 Be New Here? is a client study on one company's efforts to shorten their sales ramp time. One of the universal problems all sales managers face is getting new hires\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hiring Salespeople"","block_context":{"text":"Hiring Salespeople","link":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/hiring-salespeople\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1754,"url":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/10\/ask-the-tough-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":1542,"position":4},"title":"Ask The Tough Questions","author":"Lee Fratzke","date":"October 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"In talking with sales managers over the past month or so there is one reoccurring statement that I am hearing - their sales cycle has been extended in this economy.\u00a0 It isn't that they are not closing sales, it is just taking a bit longer.\u00a0 Buyers are certainly more deliberate,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sales Management"","block_context":{"text":"Sales Management","link":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1321,"url":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2007\/12\/pipeline-or-pipe-dream\/","url_meta":{"origin":1542,"position":5},"title":"Pipeline Or Pipe Dream","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"December 5, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the tenets of successful sales management is effective pipeline management.\u00a0 Sales managers have to have an accurate read on their team's opportunities and a good understanding of when they will close. This truth is never more important than in a capital equipment sale.\u00a0 If a product has a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sales Management"","block_context":{"text":"Sales Management","link":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}