Chasing the “maybe” will kill you

Salespeople are generally optimistic folks. When interviewing new hires, one of the most important qualities we look for is a positive and optimistic attitude. When reviewing their sales forecast, among the most common questions managers ask is for the rep to estimate “best case scenario” or give an “upside” to the deals.

Research in both neuroscience and social science indicates that people in general are more optimistic than realistic. And when it comes to salespeople, we are hardwired for hope!

When we hear “maybe” in the sales cycle, we jump, spin, chase, and beg — and often, we chase the wrong people: No-Po’s. The No-Po is that dangerous gatekeeper who has No Power and No Potential — and you will never get a Purchase Order from them. But they are masters at generating false hope. That’s why we love them so much! We want to believe what we see through those cool rose-colored glasses.

Do you have a deep attachment to your No-Po? Take this quick quiz and see how many statements you agree with:

• You want to believe something will happen so you always listen with “happy ears.”
• You’ve done a great job convincing them, and now it’s time to convince their boss — if they would only let you talk with the boss.
• You are motivated! You see small changes and believe things must be moving along.
• You’ve been introduced to more people — most of them are from the “maybe” school, but you believe you are getting closer.
• You want to help them turn things around; they’ve told you how you can help and you are right there with them.
• You’ll get the deal — after all, they owe you for all the time you’ve invested with them.

If you said yes to some or all of these, you are not alone. I was inspired to write this blog post by one of my favorite inside sales directors and thought leaders, Chad Burmeister, who wrote this very motivational email to his team:

Remember to focus on the basics – activity activity activity. And equally important, try not to burn too many cycles on NOPOs! (No power, no influence).  No power is OK to invest time into if they have influence, but NO POWER, NO INFLUENCE will kill you.  There was one example where rep spent 6-7 demos with SE support without the economic buyer.  The EB communicated “through the NOPO” that “we decided to go with the physical show again this year”.   Had the economic buyer been present, we can ask buying questions, and qualify earlier in the process.  “Yes’s are great, No’s are OK, MAYBE’s WILL KILL YOU!”  Ask for the business at the end of your calls -–  “what will it take to earn your business by ___________ (sometime earlier in the quarter like by this coming Friday).”  ONLY when you ask for the business will you get the TRUE objections.  Don’t ask, and you fool yourself into thinking it’s a best case or commit.