Sales Isn’t Just Selling—It’s Facilitating Decisions
Let’s get to the point. High-performing sales pros don’t follow buyers, they guide them.
Waiting for a prospect to “get back to you” is not a strategy. It’s a stall. If you're not actively guiding the decision-making process, you're reacting to someone else's timeline, priorities, and confusion.
If you want to shorten your sales cycle, qualify harder, and close with fewer surprises, you need to take control of how prospects make decisions.
Stop Guessing—Start Mapping
Don’t assume your contact knows how the decision gets made. Too many deals die because salespeople are talking to the wrong person, or worse, waiting on someone who’s not even involved.
Questions that should be asked early:
- "Who else is involved in making this decision?"
- "What does your internal approval process look like from here?"
- "When was the last time you purchased something similar—what steps did that take?"
If the answers are vague, or you can’t get clarity, it’s a red flag. Disqualify faster so you don’t waste cycles on low-probability opportunities.
Be the Guide, Not the Bystander
Once you know the buying process, it’s your job to drive it forward. Don’t wait to be told what happens next.
Control the process by:
- Suggesting next steps with authority: “The next step is to bring in your operations lead. I’ll coordinate that call.”
- Setting expectations: “Typically, this takes 3–4 weeks internally. Here’s how we stay on track.”
- Using third-party validation: “Another client in your industry ran into the same delay until we aligned finance early on.”
Buyers want direction. Give it to them.
Leverage the Decision Info in Your Proposal
If you’ve done the work in the Decision step, your proposal should reflect that. Generic presentations waste everyone’s time.
Customize to close:
- Speak directly to what stakeholders care about: ROI, operational impact, compliance, etc.
- Address likely objections before they’re raised.
- Show that you understand their internal hurdles—and that you’ve planned for them.
This increases deal velocity and reduces unnecessary follow-up.
Know When to Walk
Not every deal deserves your time. If the decision-making process is unclear, overly complex, or constantly shifting—and no one is willing to fix it—it’s time to move on.
Stop justifying poor-fit deals. Time spent on stalled prospects is time taken from real opportunities.
Ask yourself:
- “Does this deal have a clear path to close?”
- “Is there urgency on the buyer’s side—or just curiosity?”
- “Am I chasing an internal champion or a spectator?”
If the answer isn’t clear—disqualify.
Lead or Lose
Here’s the bottom line: buyers are busy, distracted, and under pressure. They’re looking for someone to make the process easier. If that’s not you, someone else will be.
Sales is not just about presenting solutions. It’s about owning the process.
✔️ Identify all decision-makers early.
✔️ Guide the process proactively.
✔️ Use the information you gather to deliver targeted, strategic proposals.
✔️ Eliminate dead weight in your pipeline.
Stop waiting for decisions. Start driving them.
