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Lunar Letter
A Feast Fit for a King |
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We each offer a product or a service daily.
Often the product we offer is our capacity to be a better spouse, parent,
employer or employee. “A Feast Fit for a King” is particularly relevant
for people in sales though each of us “sells” constantly in some way,
shape or form.
When is the best time to ask someone to make
a decision about our offer?
The most obvious answer is when the
recipient has all the information and is predisposed to accept our
suggestions.
Suppose we are preparing a Feast Fit for a
King for someone special. We go to the supermarket, buy the ingredients
for the meal, a nice bottle of wine and candles to create the perfect
atmosphere.
While we prepare the meal, we think of all
the details. The precise moment to put each course into the oven, the
table setting and the music we want to hear. When everything is ready, we
sit down at the table with our loved one to enjoy a Feast Fit for a King.
When is the best time to enjoy each
succulent bite?
It is in that instant, of course!
Something similar happens when we talk to a
client. We diligently do the following:
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Contact the person |
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Qualify their capacity to buy |
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Investigate necessities and desires |
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Present our offering in terms of benefits
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Respond to concerns with confidence and
conviction |
After we have expertly followed each step,
we can ask for a decision without fear and without fumbling. While the
words are not nearly as important as the intent, we can say, for example,
“Let’s get things going; I just need your approval.”
Amazing as it may seem, studies have shown
the majority of sales calls end without the salesperson ever asking for
the order! At the end of the presentation, the salesperson typically
mumbles something like, “What do you think?” to which the person
eloquently replies, “Let me think about it, and I’ll call you…”
We know from experience, the promise of
“I’ll call you…” is typically an empty promise designed to get rid of
salespeople.
What can we do?
 Just
as the best time to eat a Feast Fit for a King is in this instant, the
best time to highlight the benefits of our offer and to ask someone to make a decision is at the
same time we have given them all the information they need.
If we put our Feast Fit for a King in the
refrigerator and take it out the next day, it may still taste great,
although it may never be as good as the moment it was first prepared.
Similarly, a person is most likely to make a favorable decision
immediately after we have “served” our proposal.
Rather than packing our bags and heading for
the nearest exit in defeat, we should do everything possible to urge
people to make a decision now and not later. Often, the worst thing we can
do is to do nothing at all.
While there are no magic words or secret
formulas to achieve our objectives 100% of the time, we can enter into
every situation prepared to give our very best with confidence we will
achieve our purpose. When we take action and ask people to make a
decision, we determine our direction and drive our destiny.
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