My sales cycle is unpredictable, unscalable, and too long

Have you ever thought you had a deal in the books, or heard a salesperson excitedly predict a close before the weekend…but somehow you’re still waiting for the customer to call back? 

Have you ever heard a client say:

• Our team agreed we had a higher priority issue to solve.
• We decided to hold off until next quarter.
• After looking into your proposal we decided to stay with the existing vendor. Can we talk again next year? 
• Our leadership didn’t see the value in changing our approach at this time.
• We’ve decided to wait a few months and will revisit this initiative. 

Or, no answer at all….

These all sting, especially when you’ve invested the time to change mindsets, teach the prospect a better approach, and complete the work necessary for the customer to move forward. 

So what ultimately happened?

The organization couldn’t reach a consensus without your help. The average buying group is made up of 6 to 11 people in a typical B2B organization. 

Leaders are no longer excited to put their name on something that requires massive change. And if the product/service you sell represents a massive change for that organization and making that change comes with unpredictability, change of process, costs, and risk, it’s easy to see why 38% of buying groups end their process with a “no decision” and most organizations reach peak disagreement before they get 37% down the buyer’s journey. 

A full 58% of ‘no-deal’ scenarios are based on the stakeholders’ inability to come to an agreement.

The good news is that you have more control than you think. What if you could get the buying committee together on your time? What if you could mediate the conversation and provide helpful information that helps different departments get on the same page? 

The way to get everyone on board is by building meaningful relationships with stakeholders and connecting them to you. Send them gifts with information related to their pain points and how your product/service can help them achieve results faster and better. You can help them frame the conversation in a way that benefits them and supports the initiative.