How to Sell Podcast: Learn to Master B2B Sales and Lead Generation

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:00:00]:
In this episode, you're gonna learn about the importance of slowing down the sales process, why you need to stop selling and start educating, and why closing techniques don't actually help close the sale. Welcome back to another episode of the How TO Sell podcast. I'm your host, Luigi Preston Indian. As always, I'm honored that you've decided to join us for what will be a very slow episode. And I'll tell you why we're gonna talk about slow, why it's slow episode and and the importance of slowing down the sales process. Before we get into today's episode, just wanna say, as always, if you're a long time listener, thank you very much for showing up and supporting our community. And if you're a first time listener, thanks for showing up. We hope you take away some actionable insight that'll help you sell more.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:00:48]:
And don't forget to subscribe to any of the platforms where you listen to podcasts or click subscribe on our YouTube channel so that you can be informed when we hit live with a new episode. Now, unfortunately, I am joined this week by my cohost, Dave. Dave, welcome back to another episode. I'm I'm in the dungeon at the moment.

David Fastuca [00:01:11]:
It does. It's, where you belong, mate. So if you're listening to Luigi in looks like a jail cell. Finally, the authorities have brought up with him.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:01:22]:
Now

David Fastuca [00:01:22]:
it's a pleasure to be back, Lui. This is a this is a gonna be a it's a good episode because it's very counterintuitive. When we're talking about it before Yes. Hitting the record button, I was like, you know what? This is this is something that many people need to to learn and listen to because it's just something that we need to be reflective on.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:01:41]:
Let let's just get right into the crux of it. Yeah. Absolutely. And, you know, obviously, as we were discussing this week's episode, there's a lot of content out there to talk about the importance of deal progression, right, the importance of building momentum in the sales process and that time kills deals. And I don't argue with any of those comments. I don't argue with the fact that momentum is critical in the sales process. And in many cases, if you look at all the data, sure, there's a lot of evidence to say time can feel. However, there's a caveat to this.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:02:16]:
This is what we're gonna address today. Sometimes, a deal feels like it has so much momentum that the buyer is indicating they're ready to move forward. And because they're showing so much positive intent, there's a lot of positive energy. They're saying all the right things. We, from a sales perspective, think this is great. This is a short fee. I'm ready and ready to buy. I can just get them across a quote or a proposal and and they'll move forward.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:02:45]:
And what do we do? We send them that proposal. We skip a little bit of the the key steps in the process thinking they're ready to buy. I'll meet them where they're at. And then all of a sudden, crickets. Yeah. We hear nothing. They start ghosting us. And you're like, how the hell did this sure thing go Forum, we need to get moving straight away to I'm not hearing anything from and the reality, one of the key reasons this happens is because, yes, even though they are showing positive intent, sometimes, internally, they might not have determined their their internal steps to get the deal across the line.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:03:25]:
Right? They had been so energetic or energized and excited about moving forward internally but they haven't recognized there are some decisions that need to be made need need to be made before progressing. Right? And this is the risk that can be associated to deals that seem like they're too good to be true. So my biggest piece of advice when we're looking at momentum in the sales process is even when you have somebody that's barreling down, storming to that to that point of decision, it's critical to still ask some key questions to determine have they thought about the potential sales they need to get through or that or or or hoops they need to, you know, work through? Yeah? Have they considered the impact of not getting internal stakeholders on Durer? Because if you don't do that, then your deal is essentially is gonna have red flags

David Fastuca [00:04:21]:
all over it. And this is really hard. Right? Like, it seems so simple and easy. You know, we've been victim of it, ourselves going, you know, we tickle the boxes. They need this without this. It's like, what are you gonna do to grow? And

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:04:36]:
we've done

David Fastuca [00:04:37]:
it with a friendly, even when we were like best friends with this particular prospect. And we skipped a couple of steps and still got paused to the point where we probably lost the deal. Right? So it's critical no matter how good the relationship is, how fast it's moving, don't mess up your process. You know, you you get those those buttery flies in your belly going, I'm gonna win this deal. It's gonna be a quick win. I'm gonna look like a hero, but the reverse can happen quite quickly like you mentioned.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:05:06]:
Absolutely. You know, we've got this at the moment with the with the deal that I'm working on right now, Dave. Like, the momentum around this, if we look at the average sales cycle for for this particular product, industry average is about 60 to 90 days. I've been, I think, quite lucky to close them under 30. This particular one was incredibly fast, probably half the time. And I fell victim to that as well. I went along with it. The energy was there.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:05:36]:
But then our conversation yesterday kinda revealed that, hang on a second, this isn't at a point of signature now because there's another stakeholder that made a comment to this person that's created against anxiety. Right? And, again, we this is the why we simply cannot use hope as a strategy and hope that our prospect or hope that our buyer doesn't have any last minute concerns or Fastuca minute conversations with their internal team that'll create any anxiety or concerns. So that's why it's important that even when a deal seems like it's progressing super fast, there has to be a moment of, would it be okay if I just ask a couple of questions to ensure I'm gonna give you the right information how you. A cheekiest outcome. Right? Understanding you have quite a short time frame to execute. So you're not challenging their thinking. You're not telling them, hey. Stop what you're doing.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:06:42]:
You're going a route you're going about this wrong. Right? You never wanna tell your prospect that. Yeah? It's about understanding where they're at, accepting where they're at, mirroring where they're at, and saying, hey. Really excited. I can see that you've got a lot happening, and you're trying to push this forward very quickly. Just before we we we share that information with you or just before we move to the next step, do you mind if I just ask a couple of questions? And what you're doing there, David, is you're seeking permission to ask some questions to get that understanding. And, potentially, you'll ask some questions and say, you know, you've asked some questions about some of their internal buying processes, internal stakeholders, some of the risks, whatever questions you ask. And they might say, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:07:23]:
Mhmm. And then in your mind, you're like, actually, you know what? They are very well progressed now. They've got everything in in place. They've they've they've got the internal project team already ticked off. So they're really at not the awareness or consideration. They're really at the action stage. Right? So it's just critical to be thinking and because if you don't, you won't go, well, I don't wanna stop the sales process. I don't wanna slow it down, but it could slow itself down when it gets to that final step, and they put the handbrake on.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:07:55]:
Yeah?

David Fastuca [00:07:56]:
Have you ever wondered how fast growing companies 2, 3, and even 10 x their annual revenue? They have something more than just a sales plan. They have a sales operating system that is the engine that drives the revenue function for their business. If you need more qualified leads, if you're struggling to nurture deals, if you need to close more deals faster, or even if you need to hire a plus salespeople, click the link in this podcast episode or visit Forum forward slash apply to have a chat with Luigi and myself to see how we can help you. Now back to the show. Let me further reverse at you. What if a client is dictating the pace rather than you assuming the pace? Right? If they're saying, look, I'm ready to go, send me the contract. Do you skip the process then, or do you still try and push them through the right, you know, steps to get there? Because that could be challenging. Yeah.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:08:56]:
You know, and again, I I I've been here today, but I've been there multiple times. And have I have I have I responded and said, sure. I'll send you the contract. Yes. Have I had contracts signed? Yes. However, again, I've gotta set the cable on this. Right? Because if I look at the, you know, all the opportunities that are that are that are pushed to that point, The majority haven't signed. Yeah? If the majority had signed, I wouldn't be sitting here saying, hey.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:09:32]:
Slow it down. Ask any Christians. Add add a step to the process. But the reality is Fastuca flip side. It's it's the opposite. Deals often slow down because of the fact there's some information that's lacking from the internal stakeholders. Now I think the other thing that we need to take into consideration here, you've got to split this. If it's a small medium business with 1 or 2 stakeholders, they behave very differently to a mid market enterprise based opportunity.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:10:05]:
Right? So if you're dealing with a company that has 9 to 20 stakeholders, you have to kind of anticipate that, you know, what doesn't matter how fast they're pushing. We've gotta think about there's more than 1 stakeholder here involved in the decision making process. The 1 to 2, that actually can lead to a decision very quickly. Right? And you can go with that momentum, but I still would always add that stepping to seek understanding of any of the information gaps that they might have. And actually, you know, I like to use the language like typically. And so, hey. Typically, when somebody is in your position, fire progresses Fastuca, what happens is they this this information is requested at this stage. Has this been considered? Have you considered this? No.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:10:58]:
Okay. Great. Would it make sense if I maybe share this with you so you can get an understanding of that so we don't have to deal with this then? Yeah? So again, for me, this is why the next sort of key takeaway I want you listening to this to really walk away with is the education piece. Is consider how many times you helped somebody through the sales process, You know what level of education your buyer and the blind community requires to get to that point decision. So this is where the power of collaboration really kicks in. Start to share that with them. Start to share and say, hey. Not sure if you've considered this, but here are some FAQs that often, come up from the buying community at this step.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:11:42]:
Right? Start to share that with them. Start to share other information, like think about the information gap that supports the buying process. For me, this is where selling is really starting to evolve, Dave, and we've gotta be thinking as sales professionals. We've gotta thinking take our think our sales cap off, and we've got to put our education cap on. Right? Because that's what growth great sellers educate their buyers through each step. They give them the information so they are feeling confident to progression each step. Right? And objections become a barrier when people want to buy, but they are lacking a certain amount of information to help them take that next step. Right? So the information gap can be a key barrier.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:12:30]:
Before you know these are the information pieces they need, that's where the questions that you ask before sending the contract just to set sort of like a checklist. Have they got this? And if they haven't, there's an opportunity, right, to be proactive and start to share that with them.

David Fastuca [00:12:48]:
Now one thing you've done well is build this whole process into the CRM. Right? So when we mean the CRM, it's a cash customer relationship management tool. If you're selling, you need to have 1. If you don't definitely get 1, that's, it should be your 1st action point after listening to this. But if you're one of those aggressive sellers or you have a team of aggressive sellers mindset up your CRM that pushes them to actually go through the steps. And what I mean by that is that most of the systems now force you to push a deal for every stage of the buying process. You can't you can't just skip. Or if you can't allow that, then make it that anytime it do has to be moved, it needs approval.

David Fastuca [00:13:31]:
This helps slows the deal down. This forces you to slow the deal down until the habit is built. Because sales you know what's happening or you could control it, it can be one of those things where you're losing deals and you're not sure why, until you dig into the data, which you may not do until 60, 90 days, and you've just lost on opportunities that you could have easily won if the team or if you followed that process.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:13:56]:
Yeah. Absolutely. And you're alright, David. This is why it's critical. And it's not about adding a laborious step to the sales process so that it becomes more admin heavy with the gates in the sales process. For me, I have a different thought pattern around this. I don't see it as an admin step. I see it as a considered step.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:14:19]:
It just reminds me, have I done this? And if I haven't and I am gonna push this through, am I okay with the risk associated with this step? Yeah? Because if I'm okay with the risk and I've assessed the risk and I thought, you know what? I I'm gonna push it anyway because I I don't believe this is a risk. That's okay. But just be mindful if the deal does fall over at the last the last stage of the process, to where the the power of reflection kicks in. You've gotta go back and and let your ego at the door and ask yourself, by me skipping this, did that impact x? Right? So I know that we've covered a lot of things in today's episode, but this is there are there are key takeaways from this episode that I just wanna rehighlight again, and then I wanna talk about why closing techniques don't work anymore. Right? Some of the key things I wanna highlight is, doesn't matter how fast the deal is progressing, it's critical to assess the level of information the buyer or the buying committee has to determine, are there any red flags that could stop this deal? Right? That's key. Second thing, think about the sales process not as a process, but as an education step. That each stage of that process is about embedding key pieces of information that can educate the buyer. And I'm not just talking about education around product, the features.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:15:55]:
I'm talking about education about where they're at in the journey, what could give them confidence, what are some of their challenges, what are some of the concerns? What are what are some of the questions that are being asked from the internal team? Because if you can facilitate that education as part of the process, what you're doing is you're enabling the buyer to confidently move to that point of decision. And the 3rd key takeaway is all about closing. And there are some great techniques out there that you can Google. You can go to chat GBT and say list out some great closing techniques, and it'll give you a whole bunch of closing techniques. But the best technique that you can use is just give a a growth experience Mhmm. Have a a strong level of information to the buyer and have a compelling business case where they can weigh up. Does this investment for us make sense and will we get a return on investment and have a positive impact to our business? Right? And if you are able to build that as part of the process, there is no need to put a closing technique into the process. Yeah? Because what you're doing is you're saying, based on what we've learned, based on what you're trying to achieve, this is the road map that'll help you get there.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:17:12]:
These are all the things that you've considered. These are all the things that you've put in place to mitigate some of that risk, to reduce the pain of change, and ensure you can actually achieve these outcomes. If you're ticking those those boxes and you're facilitating that holistic process, there is no need to put a closing technique. Right? There's no need to give them that option close and, you know, give them that manipulative close around, hey. You know, if we don't sign this month, the price is gone, right, and all that crack. It's just a matter of just sharing with them and saying, this is the business case. Are we okay to proceed?

David Fastuca [00:17:50]:
A lot of that is a symptom of having a thin pipeline. Right? Because you don't have enough deals in your pipeline. Because you try to rush it. That's right. Yeah.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:17:58]:
Yeah. So and and and look, have I used closing techniques in the past? Absolutely. Right? And do I advocate to give certain people options? I absolutely do. But the closing technique is not what drives a decision. The business counts, that experience, and the value that's built into the business case is what's gonna drive the decision. Yeah? If your only hook is a technique to trigger that emotional decision, it's not enough because they'll relapse and they'll get to a point of this is not strong enough for me. I have buyer's remorse. I don't wanna do this.

Luigi Prestinenzi [00:18:37]:
Right? And then I'll start ghosting you. But the business case is what's critical, and the value that's embedded into that business case that you've collaborated on to determine, yes, this is absolutely something of value that we wanna