Perfect Pitch: Getting Commitment

The objective of any conversation with a client is always to obtain a commitment of some kind. It might be a commitment to sign a contract or place an order, or perhaps it’s just to have another conversation. But all commitments are like punctuation points that organize a business relationship and help it to go forward. Your job is to get those commitments and to understand what they mean and what they don’t mean.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of business conversations don’t include any discussion of commitment whatsoever. This is an amazing fact. It’s also amazing how much more effectively time could be used if requesting commitment was a conscious objective from the start.

Remember: commitment doesn’t mean only asking for an order. It’s much broader than that. It can be asking for the next meeting, or setting a time for the next phone call or emailed document. Commitment is simply moving the conversation forward.  Conversely, refusal to give commitment – or failure to ask for it -- is a signal that the relationship is not getting the care that it needs.

"You seem pleased. Can we agree to take the next step?” or “Can I have your commitment that you will support me in taking this to next level of buying authority?” Why do people have difficulty getting words like that out of their mouths? Sometimes it’s fear of rejection. Sometimes they don’t want to seem pushy.

Whatever the reason, asking for commitment seems to be a tough challenge for many people in business. But getting it done is one of the clearest markers of a professional – and it doesn’t happen by itself.

Commitment questions demand insight and preparation. You need to determine what commitments can be expected in every conversation. At what points will the commitments be asked for? How many commitments will be needed before the relationship can be formalized?

Preparation of commitment questions is a key element of every contact, and every contact should have its own plan. Without this preparation, commitment questions will be neglected and commitments won’t be attained. Instead, you’ll be giving up control of the conversation. At best, this will confuse the relationship. At worst, it will bring it to a halt.

Perfect Pitch: Time Is Money...or it ought to be

As we all know, “time is money” in business. You can’t afford to expend effort on people who aren’t in a position to buy your product or service – in other words, on buyers who aren’t qualified. Conversely, once you determine that you’re really talking to the person who can write you a check, you should feel justified in making the maximum effort to sell that individual.

The ability to tell qualified prospects from unqualified ones is a key skill, but it’s not complicated. It’s just a matter of getting information, and the way to get qualifying information is by asking pertinent questions.

Sometimes people are cautious about asking those questions, but that hesitation is misplaced. Asking questions won’t alienate potential clients. They understand the purpose of the conversation. They know it isn’t just a social call. Prospects may even encourage you to ask qualifying questions as a way of getting get down to business.

Or instance, if you need assurance that you’re talking to the true decision maker, a professional way of inquiring about this would be to ask, “Will you be the signatory on the contract?”  

Are you concerned about potential legal issues? Ask, “What is the legal approval process on contracts at your company?” 

Naturally you want to be certain that there’s enough money available for the purchase, so you might ask. “What are your current costs for this service and what is your budget?” 

Is there really a good fit between you and the buyer? Here’s the right qualifying question: “From what I’ve described so far, do you feel our service will meet or exceed your requirements?” 

The time frame is also important. The question would be, “On what date do you want to have a contract signed?”

Once you’ve established a basic level of rapport, you should freely and frankly ask questions like these. That way, neither you nor your potential client will be investing time in something with limited potential benefit. It’s a process of both you and the client qualifying one another. That’s a great way to save time and to make money.

Perfect Pitch: Confidence Man vs Confident Man

An overly confident person and a someone with low confidence have surprising similarities. Both have unconscious belief systems that need to be questioned and re-evaluated. So let’s look at some techniques for restoring balance.

Suppose you need to start using a new spreadsheet program that’s you’re totally unfamiliar with. It seems like an alien and intimidating task. Before you get started with the new program, do this. Think back to when you did something else new for the first time. Preferably, this should be something that seemed at least as intimidating as what you’re facing now.

What about the first time you rode a bicycle? The whole idea of it seemed to contradict the laws of gravity. How would you ever be able to balance on those two thin wheels? Maybe you did fall over a few times, but once you learned how to do it, riding a bicycle seemed perfectly natural. It seemed to happen by itself, without your even thinking about it.

Driving a car is another good example. This is actually an amazingly complex set of behaviors. There’s some genuine danger involved, and the skills of safe driving can take time to develop. Besides using your hands and your feet, you need to keep checking the mirrors every few seconds. You have to know who’s in front of you and behind you, and you also have to be aware of the blind spots that can be especially dangerous. 

But most people learn how to do it. If you drive a car today, the chances are you’re neither frightened out of your wits or totally oblivious of the risks. Driving is something you learned how to do -- both the physical actions and the mental requirements. Yet there was a time when driving must have seemed hugely intimidating, just like the spreadsheet program does now.

Certain situations can bring anxiety and stress. This is perfectly normal. But remember that the anxiety is only about what you’re doing now. It's not what you are at the deepest level of your being. Think about all the things you accomplished over the years. You’re learning now just as you learned then. You learned to do those things, and you will learn this. You can be completely confident about that.

 Here’s another good way to deal with intimidating situations. Attack just one part of it and achieve success. Instead of trying to deal with the whole the issue immediately, warm up by doing something less intimidating that will allow you to achieve success. It can be a task you’ve put off, like making a tough decision and acting on it. Taking small steps -- getting “on a roll” -- will put you into a 'flow' state where you forget about everything else. Afterwards, you’ll feel more competent, more capable, and definitely more confident. 

Remember this key point about confidence. It’s not a matter of feeling no doubts about yourself, which is grandiose thinking. It’s not being paralyzed by hesitation, which is an effect of low self-esteem. People on both extremes are convinced that they’re either totally great or completely incompetent. If you’re buying into that all or nothing thinking, you're wrong either way. As some once said, "Feel the fear and do it anyway." Words of wisdom.