Gerry Weinberg

Harvard Business Review defines urgency as a combination of thoughts, feelings, and actual behavior. We have observed a lack of urgency with many salespeople who believe they have a long sales cycle. Because of their belief, we have noticed that many are uncomfortable asking tough questions to disqualify prospects earlier in the sales cycle.

Why do salespeople have a need to spend so much time with prospects they will never sell? What do prospects say to you to give you hope? 

When I was a rookie in sales it was very important to know as much as I could about the products I was selling.
I spent hours researching and memorizing...........really proud of what I knew.

One day I found myself in front of a very large opportunity – boy was I excited to show off!

To answer this question we looked at 11 factors that historically support shorter sales cycles. Shorter sales cycles are generally not impacted by delayed closings or business lost to competitors.
- Make Decisions – If you make buying decisions without having to think it over you will find a way to get your prospects to make decisions too.
- Consultative Seller – If you can sell consultatively you can uncover the compelling reason to buy, a motivator that creates urgency and shortens the sales cycle.

Why do prospects and customers buy? A common incorrect answer we hear with amateur salespeople is because of our quality, delivery, location etc. While these may be factors into the buying decision, this is not why someone will buy. These are features and benefits.

Over my many years in business, I have learned that in order to be successful you have to have an extreme thirst for knowledge. You have to continually be growing and adapting to the world around you; and one of the easiest ways to do so is to read, read, read.

Why do we feel there aren’t enough hours in the day? We’re constantly rushing from place to place, eating on the run, not getting enough sleep, missing our kid’s soccer games and dance recitals.