If I had to name one of the most prominent reasons that professional salespeople miss performance targets, it would be this: they are unable to earn commitment from the client.

Being assertive but not too aggressive is often a difficult and delicate balance during a competitive and complex sales engagement.  Those are the moments of truth that separate top producers from the middle of the pack.

Top-producing salespeople avoid the sales trap of presenting to simply share information. Instead, they are laser- focused on earning commitment.

In this video I explain The Law of Incremental Commitment and the three simple questions every sales organization should ask. Ask these three questions after every customer engagement to understand the strength of the commitment earned.

• What commitment did you earn?
• What is the commitment timeline and agreed upon next steps?
• Did you confirm the commitment in writing and add value?

These questions are helpful in assessing your ability to advance a relationship and accelerate the sales cycle.  They will also help you avoid stalls, missed opportunities and the sales kiss of death – spinning your wheels spending valuable time on non-qualified opportunities.

The commitment objective is a critical component of a quality pre-call plan.  Don’t leave home without it!

Earning Commitment from Ryan Estis on Vimeo.