By Phil Harwood

This one simple selling approach changed everything. Without a background in sales, my closing rate went up over 90% and found myself with lots of time on my hands for other things. No longer was I wasting my precious time on every opportunity that came my way. Because of my success, I’m happy to share this approach with you.

The approach is simple to understand but sometimes difficult to execute without training and practice because at first blush it doesn’t seem like it will lead to success. It’s a bit counterintuitive. However, once you see it work with your own eyes, it will change your world. At least it did so for me.

Most people who have sales responsibilities chase every opportunity, which leads to a low closing rate and lots of wasted time chasing prospects, making followup calls, sending followup emails, waiting, and hoping. They see sales as a “numbers game” and so they suck it up and continue to play the game, even though it’s actually a losing game. I feel sorry for these people but it’s not their fault. They just don’t know any better.

Most people don’t invest in sales training like I did. I invested in a great sales training program called Sandler. I attended classes, worked with a coach, and did tons of role-playing. If there is a good Sandler trainer in your area, I highly recommend making the investment. The Sandler organization also offers books and online resources.

The Sandler approach is all about qualifying opportunities to separate the good ones from the bad ones. Of course, the good ones are the ones that are most likely to become a client. The bad ones are everyone else. The faster you can identify which is which, the better. With some understanding and practice, it is actually quite easy to do this.

Qualification involves asking the right questions – lots of questions, tough questions. The answers to the questions lead you to an obvious decision to pursue a good opportunity or to end it immediately and move on. Some salespeople never ask any questions aside from,  “When is the bid due?” Bidding on work without qualification is a massive failure – and very common.

On top of checking out Sandler resources, I would like to personally invite you to take our free online course, Introduction to Sales, available at GrowTheBench.com. This course is 100% free with no obligation or credit card required. 

Now go forth