Do not put off until tomorrow what
should be done today. You’ve done your homework and have made a decision, so
sign now and close the deal. Be aggressive and not so passive. Have a sense of
urgency in what you do.
A sense of urgency does not mean you
need to fast-track your sales process, nor does it mean you should take short
cuts in an attempt to close a deal sooner. A sense of urgency is about tone,
attitude, demeaner, and ultimately being professionally aggressive in chasing
after your goals. I’ve been reminded of this quite a few times recently. There
have been scenarios in my organization, as well as with a few sales people I
counsel on the side, and so I’ve been giving this topic a lot of thought.
To a certain extent you can blame the
weather. It is late-August in Northeast Ohio. After a cooler and wetter summer
than most would have wanted, we seem to finally be getting the warm, dry days
we’ve been craving. Of course, that means no one really wants to be in the
office. The kids only have a few days left of summer vacation. Lake Erie is
becoming ideal for boating. Pools will be closing right after Labor Day. And
again, no one really wants to be in the office. So, maybe this nice weather is
wearing on sales people’s sense of urgency. Fine, I see where you’re coming
from, but you need to get past it.
A sense of urgency should not be
something you turn on and off like a light switch. A sense of urgency should be
as much about who you are as what you do. And, if you are in sales, and more
importantly striving to become or maintain ‘A’ level sales status, than get
that sense of urgency going and keep it going. So what I am talking about?
A sense of urgency is as much in how
you carry yourself as it is about the words you choose. I am in a service
industry and so I will leverage my experience as an example. When I find a
prospective client that seems like a great fit, I want this prospect to know
how I feel. Therefore, I will explain why I want to do business with them from
the very beginning. I will find opportunities to remind them just how and why I
believe this is a great fit. I will ask often about their feelings. I will make
every opportunity presented to me one to ask the client for their business.
And, ultimately, above everything else, I want my sense of urgency to become
contagious. I don’t just want but need the prospect to feel the same as I do
about the pending relationship. I need them to feel that the opportunity is so
important that we cannot delay. I need them to sign on the dotted line today
not tomorrow.
This whole sense of urgency thing is
not 100% full proof. It does not work perfectly in every sales scenario. But,
an ‘A’ level sales person strives to have a sense of urgency 100% of the time.
And, when they do, the right type of aggressive behavior shines through and the
passive behavior goes away. When this happens you will see a dramatic increase
in your close rate. You will also have a more energetic client base.