Every time I suggest to professional sales people that it is their job to control the sales cycle, they look at me as if I have two heads.  Even seasoned sales professionals have so many preconceived notions about the rules of engagement as it relates to selling.  Most of these rules put the seller in a subservient relationship with the buyer. 
The most common misconceived notions include:

1. The customer/prospect is always right.
2. You can’t sell over the phone.
3. People only buy from people they like. 
4. You can’t control the sales cycle as a salesperson.
5. You can’t say no to a prospect.
6. Even if they are reasonable, there are some questions you can’t ask a prospect.
7. You can’t take control of the sales cycle.
8. Prospects usually buy from the vender with the lowest price.
9. Executives are not really interested in your solution.
10. Closing is the most important part of the sales cycle. 

Though it is a bit of a mystery how these rules of selling became the norm, almost every one of them is wrong! If these are the internal beliefs of your sales people then they are, at the very least setting themselves up for long sales cycles in the best case, or chasing unqualified opportunities in the worst case. 
Based on the numerous sales professionals we train every year at Sales Builders in our Quid Pro Quo sales approach (www.SalesBuilders.com), we find that the top three most common issues sellers face today are:

1. Longer than anticipated sales cycles
2. Reps chasing unqualified opportunities
3. Lack of consistent performance

Many companies are chalking their lack of sales performance up to the current economic conditions.  We have found, from years of experience that these same issues exist in good and bad economic conditions.  When times get a little tougher, it is the responsibility of sales management to differentiate their sales approach, maybe even more than their value proposition.  This all comes back to breaking the preconceived rules of engagement for selling and controlling the sales cycle.

At Sales Builders we teach a trademarked course called Quid Pro Quo Selling™. Quid Pro Quo is a Latin term that means, what for what.  In selling terms, we define it to mean something of value exchanged for something of equal value.  Sales Builders teaches a approach that details how to control the sales cycle while employing a consultative sales approach and putting it in a framework of an authentic franchise mentality.

Just one of many examples of Quid Pro Quo exchanged throughout the cycle might begin at the initial phone call.  It is a common occurrence when a seller is speaking to a prospect on the phone, the prospect asks for marketing literature to be sent to them.  Of course, sales reps can’t wait to run to the storage room, pull out the company’s pocket brochure, and fill it full of every piece of literature the marketing department has ever produced.  Some sales people, depending where they are in relation to their quota, will even Fed Ex this literature that they believe the prospect is obliviously on the edge of their seat waiting for. At least this is what their mind is telling them .Come on! The prospect has expressed an interest in the solution the sales person is offering and they have explained their superior solution using excellent selling skills. Combine all that with the quality market literature offered by the sales person’s company that the prospect has requested, the deal is all but done, right?  The scenario usually runs in that the sales person gets all excited, maybe even tells their manager they found a new prospect, and sometimes even adds this newfound opportunity to their forecast. 

Sounds kind of silly when explained this way, but I am willing to bet that every sales person, if hey are being honest, has experienced this exact scenario.  Now what’s the typical reality of the situation?  In the best case, the prospect does have some level of interest.  In the worst case, they just want to get off the phone, and having requesting literature achieves this goal.  The sales person usually waits a couple of days and then starts calling again to follow up.  Follow up, in this case, means close the deal!  Unfortunately, it just never seems to work out that way.  What ends up happening more times than not, is that the sales person makes several phone calls, leaving messages on voice mail for a couple of weeks until one day at 7:30 AM they catch the prospect before the day really begins.  The voice on the other end is usually very pleasant and says;

“Yes I received your materials, thank you for sending them I’ve been really busy and haven’t had a chance to look at them yet.  I will call you when I get around to it.”

With this statement, the sales person has no where to go and has to wait until the prospect makes time to look over the materials, thus the sales cycle is stalled. One of a thousand examples of Quid Pro Quo to help them stay in control might go something like this:

“Sure Mr./Ms. Prospect I’d be happy to send you some literature.  I think it would answer a lot of your questions and be very informative for you. What I would like to do though is schedule a time that gives you enough time to review the literature and be able to discuss it in some detail with me.  How’s next Wednesday at 3:30?”

What this does, is put a time frame on the next step.  If the prospect is reluctant to give you a set time, then you have to really assess their sincere interest and question whether it is really worth your while to send them the information.  As a sales person you deserve much more than just a yes or a no at the end of a sales cycle. Take control of your opportunities and you will see the sales dynamic and results change complete.