Don't Ignore The First Sale

By Gil Cargill, Sales Acceleration Coach, Cargill Consulting Group, Inc. 

One of the biggest problems that I see in selling both high-tech and low-tech products and services is the prospecting strategies utilized by today's sales teams. You see, more often than not, these teams completely ignore the first sale. The first sale is the sale that is required to get a prospect to invest time and attention with you and your company. If you try to present the second sales (i.e., your product or service) during the first contact, you're skipping this crucial first sale step.

So, take a step back and understand what you’re asking a prospect to do when you ask them to meet with you face to face and/or over the phone. Remember, you're essentially asking them to invest time. In today's hectic, uncertain and precarious environment, time is something that we can ill afford to waste. That goes for you and your clients. Therefore, I'm sure they view their time as being precious.

When you ask your clients for time, attention and/or a commitment of interest, recognize that you're asking them to make a very large investment in you, your ideas, products, and services.  But, in the case of the first sale, the investment is not money-related; it's time- and focus-related. 

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