Knowing when to draw the line (The line in the sand ask)
My career in sales began less than a month ago.
In that short time, I have fallen in love— finding a way to connect with every element of the process:
→ Spieling
→ Product knowledge
→ Bottled enthusiasm
→ Tone and cadence
→ Silence
→ Creating value
→ Objection handling
→ Customer concerns
→ Rejection etc etc
But my favourite part of sales so far has to be ‘the line in the sand ask’.
It’s the final potential deviation.
To make a sale, you have to ask for a sale. For many people (myself included), this is difficult.
After you ask for the sale in the close, the customer has 4 options:
- Yes
- Maybe (weak yes)
- Objection/concern
- No
The hard yes and hard no are straightforward.
But the weak yes and the objection require some handling and potential ‘circle work’ to get across the line.
If you have done all that and the customer appears to be wasting your time through indecision (ie. a tyre kicker), then it is on you to decide for them.
This is your final stand—the line in the sand ask!
It’s that final decisive moment when you have done your job, built your value, handled your objections and alleviated all customer concerns.
You have exhausted all potential avenues and now you need a decision.
“No stress Mr Customer, but is it a YES or NO…”
And then, tactical silence…
You let them decide and you fall in love with the result, whichever way it goes.
The entire sales process is hinged on this brief but powerful moment that acts as the final chapter in any sales story.
Your job is to avoid this moment.
But ironically, it is also to bravely push forward toward it with gusto and ease.
I also believe it is an important life skill to develop.
Sometimes, people in your life may not know that they don’t want something. You must be brave enough to draw the line in the sand, making their decision binary.
If you have reached this point, it can be painful.
Important reframe: love the decision no matter what because at least it’s progress.
Many more dreams have died from procrastination than they have from failure.
Making a decision is hard…
Getting a decision is hard…
But wasting our most precious resource (time) on indecision is the greatest crime of all.
The line in the sand ask is an efficiency tool.
Use it sparingly, but always have it there.
People want to waste your time because they themselves can’t make decisions. Making decisions requires choosing something and not choosing something else.
It takes courage to be decisive.
If you have:
• Presented an idea
• Built value
• Built trust
• Asked for a decision
• Handled objections
• Worked through the concerns
And still don’t have an answer…
Draw a line in the sand.
Don’t get bitter.
Don’t get annoyed.
Don’t get frustrated.
Your job is done when you get the decision.
Then and only then can you be satisfied that you have done everything in your power to reach the natural conclusion of the interaction.
If it is no, then it is no, and that is absolutely ok.
Whether it is with…
→ Friends
→ Family
→ Colleagues
→ Customers
→ Strangers
People struggle to talk plainly and directly. People struggle to articulate their thoughts and make sense of what’s in their heads.
It is your job to help them.
Draw a line in the sand, make the ask, get the decision, be grateful for the decision and then move on.
Your job is now done.
With gratitude,
Sav.
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