Action Selling ® has been described by enthusiastic learners as a major GPS for navigating the sales process. Even veteran salespeople who discover Action Selling ® find that for the first time in their careers, they have a systematic approach that always lets them know exactly where they are in their sell cycle. They are thrilled to find that they no longer have to fly by the seat of their pants.
But among long-time practitioners of Action Selling ®—salespeople who have internalized the system—a subtle but important difference arises. They come to see the 9-Act framework more as a schedule or timeline that shows where the client is in the buying cycle, as opposed to where the salesperson is in their sell cycle.
From ‘Where am I?’ to ‘Where is my buyer?’
Let’s call these people “evolved” Action Selling ® professionals. When they are more in tune with the stages of the client buying cycle, they know precisely when it is time to move forward to the next sequential decision that the customer will make. They know this even when the timing doesn’t match up with the sequence of their PowerPoint slides.
Evolved Action Sellers are better able to adjust Commitment Objectives on the fly. They know that in the heat of the battle, things often change. Above all, they know that if we’re doing Action Selling ® right, we learn new things during the call! These things may require us to alter our plans, including the most fundamental goal we have set for the sales call: our Commitment Objective.
This happens, for example, when we uncover a personal need something the buyer personally stands to win or lose from the deal that changes the urgency of the sale. We may need to move faster or slower based on what we have learned. Evolved Action Sellers become so attuned to the buyer, and the buyer’s cycle, that they can shift gears quickly and smoothly. Even a major change in speed or direction becomes a natural-seeming part of the process.
As questioning skills and presentation skills are sharpened by experience and mindful practice, evolved Action Sellers become true masters of the sales process. They have their fingers directly on the buyer’s pulse. They walk arm-in-arm with their prospect on the way to a sale. They know exactly where to go and when they will arrive.
Action Selling ® in ACTION!
Here’s a success story about Odell Kennedy, director of partnership development for the Champions division of Knowledge Learning Corp., a national provider of child daycare and early education services.
Years ago, shortly after learning the Action Selling ® system, Kennedy had been named as KLC’s national Salesperson of the Year. Well, he just did it again. And while winning Salesperson of the Year honors for the second consecutive year, he incidentally wrapped up the largest deal in the history of the Champions division.
Kennedy is the kind of person described as an “evolved” Action Selling ® professionals. So what’s next on his agenda? More training, of course—this time in Action Selling ® 3D, on his way to a three-peat.
Discover the next horizon, read the sales article: Action Selling ® 3D