Either Drive To Your Sales Destination Or Get Off The Bike

When I was younger, unwise, and unmarried, I took it upon myself to buy a motorcycle. A Honda VTX1800 Cruiser. Fiery orange. A monster. The bike looked cool and provided a much-needed counterbalance to my goofy persona. 

Before taking the plunge, I had to learn how to ride a bike. I chose a fairly criminal two-day course that included a little lecture and a lot of buzzing around a parking lot with other prospective Sons of Anarchists. 

One of the more challenging skills I had to learn was the art of cornering, which is motorcycle-speak for navigating a bend in the road. Cornering is difficult. Disastrous if you mess it up. Even thinking about the mechanics of it makes my head hurt. Adjust speed, shift weight, countersteer… all to take a lousy corner. But one particular tip our instructor gave us was straightforward and unforgettable: Look where you want to be. Set your eyes on the line that you want to follow, and turn your head in the direction you want go. Your bike will naturally follow suit. The trick of course is to use your peripheral vision to ensure you don’t hit a pothole or a gopher in the meantime. 

Some sellers struggle to advance the sale. It is not as though they do not have great discussions with buyers—they do. But when the opportunity gets stuck in a holding pattern of purposeless meetings, it is time to reevaluate the situation. 

To keep the sale moving forward, look where you want to be. Turn your head in the direction you want to go. 

Five minutes from now, you have a scheduled telephone meeting with a prospect. What is the purpose of the meeting, and what should happen after the meeting ends? Write it down. For example, “The purpose of this meeting is to demonstrate to you that my company’s product can provide you with the capabilities you told me you needed in our discussion last week. After you and I go through these capabilities, we will be able to determine together if it makes sense to for you to introduce me to your counterparts on the decision committee.” 

Now you are prepared to lead the meeting. You have a purpose and a logical next place to be, and you are looking in that direction. Since your buyer is on the bike with you, you both need to agree on the destination. You need to be looking together. 

But you are driving. So lead the way. Let the buyer get off and hoof it if he wants… just avoid cycling around with nowhere to go. Extra-long bike rides are a pain in the behind.

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