When I talk about "process” in selling, I am talking about the process which begins when the dialogue starts and ends, not when the PO is signed, but when the solution is complete. I want to help you develop a method of creating and communicating your value that empowers you to control your sales and evaluation process—not the prospect's evaluation and decision process.

I also want you to be able to lay out your process to the unenlightened so that they can follow you. If you can put enough people into your sales process and create environments where that process will lead to outcomes, even if the outcome is "no,” then you will reach great success. However, when you either engage too few people in your process or are unable to work them through it, then you limit your income potential.

"A LITTLE SYSTEM PREVENTS A LOT OF BUNGLING.” Oxford Dictionary for American Proverbs

The bottom line is you should control the sales process. Not the customer. Remember, they're the ones with the problem in the first place. The person with the solution should always control the sales process. That's you.

Here is an example. Meet Software Associates. They're a software development company that specializes in web software for the financial business. They've been a client of ours for five years. When we first began, they were having trouble moving prospects through their process. They would get hung up half-way through and deals would fall through.

So, I played 'prospect' once in a role play and it became grossly evident what was happening. They weren't helping the prospect. They had absolutely no process laid out to help the prospect buy. Here is what we coached them to say on the first call:

"Mark, thanks for your interest in the software system. Can I take a few minutes and lay out the process that seems to have worked for some of our other clients? I thought we could spend today talking about why you were interested, and what business problems you have in your Information Services department.

Then at the end of this meeting, we can decide if we want to go further. If we decide not to advance

this, then neither of us will have wasted any time. If we decide to move forward, I'll probably need to speak with your management team and find out what their issues are. Then if we want to continue after that, you and I can get back together and plan the process from there. Does that sound appropriate?”

Then throughout the sale, we had the sales team practice what we call "orientation.” This is the act of laying out your process each step of the ay. On the first call, lay out an overview of the entire cycle. Or, if you're already five calls into the process, then take the next logical number of calls and lay them out. You must always be orienting your prospect to what your process is. This works extremely well if you're in a cycle that is either long or confusing or both.

You can't blame the prospect for not following your process if he doesn't know what it is. If your prospect doesn't buy your product often (less than three times per year) then you will be doing him a favor by orienting him. But orient him to your ideal process - not to a worn out process that you've just defaulted into. Think higher.

Action Item In your next five sales calls take a risk and orient your prospect to your process from this point on. By doing that, you will start to control the process. If your buyer asks for something that you're not ready to give him yet - like a proposal or a price - simply lay out your process and tell him when you'll give it to him.

Author: Bill Caskey is an author, speaker and innovator. His book, Same Game, New Rules, is in its third printing. He can be contacted at (317) 575-0057 or at www.billcaskey.com.

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