| While spending the week with family in Colorado, | | | | safest way." Having just spent 45 minutes |
| my brother-in-law, Jason, and I spent one morning | | | | following him, I asked again in a non-accusatory |
| traveling the mountainous back country on my | | | | tone, "Are you sure that's the way?" Jason |
| father's ATVs. Thrilled by both scenery and | | | | paused, "No, I have no idea." Admitting that he |
| speed, we took the hills with that wonderful | | | | had no idea how to get down, we were able to |
| combination of confidence and naiveté | | | | make some progress. We dismounted, sat down, |
| that men on 4-wheelers have. After about an | | | | and evaluated the situation. Pooling together our |
| hour of maneuvering through the well-worn paths | | | | thoughts and scouting out paths on foot, we |
| of Westcliffe, Jason looked at me and pointed to | | | | found the most effective way to resolve the |
| the mountain in front of us, indicating that we | | | | situation we were in. In business, we encounter |
| should ride to the top of it. Excited at the | | | | situations like this everyday. However, basic |
| challenge, and armed with all the confidence an | | | | business training encourages seeking out "yes" |
| hour of experience brings, I raced ahead of him | | | | answers and avoiding the word "no" at all costs. |
| onto the base of the mountain. Shifting into | | | | Truthfully, we should seek to establish clean |
| 4-wheel drive, we climbed the steep mountainside. | | | | communication with our customers, the type that |
| As we reached the rolling flat summit, I threw | | | | allows the salesperson, and the customer, to |
| my arms up like I was Rocky reaching the top of | | | | evaluate the situation, using all of the information |
| the stairs. A few seconds later, I realized that | | | | available in order to make the right decision. |
| getting down from the mountain wasn't going to | | | | Too often we lead our customers down the path |
| be as easy as getting up had been. | | | | of "yes" when the right answer is actually "no." |
| I turned to Jason and asked, "So... how do we get | | | | We try so hard to close a sale that we fail to |
| down?" He replied, "Easy, we go this way." As we | | | | establish a clean understanding of the situation. In |
| began to retrace our path, it became apparent | | | | the absence of this clean understanding we can |
| we were going to have some trouble getting | | | | drag out the sales process with no acceptable |
| down safely. The mountainside was too steep and | | | | conclusion, or we convince our customer to take |
| we could feel the ATVs starting to tip over. | | | | a path that is wholly inappropriate. You may get a |
| Throwing them into reverse, we backed up, | | | | sale, but you will kill the long-term relationship as |
| trying to find a safer path down. With his military | | | | you and your customer tumble down in the |
| experience, I trusted Jason's instincts over my | | | | wrong direction like a top-heavy ATV. In every |
| own. Following him to another path, my heart | | | | sales relationship, you must try to understand |
| jumped as the back two tires began lifting off of | | | | where you are at from a communication |
| the ground, about to tumble. Looking at the | | | | standpoint. There is great value in taking some |
| quarter mile downward, I froze. I dismounted the | | | | time to have a simple conversation about |
| ATV and pushed it back to safer ground. We | | | | whether you and your customer feel you are on |
| repeated the process no less than a dozen times. | | | | the right course. To receive an honest, productive |
| Jason's confidence and my belief in it had me | | | | answer, creating an environment that allows your |
| following him blindly. Finally, I had to ask him | | | | customer to feel comfortable enough to tell you |
| straight out, "Do you seriously know how to get | | | | "no" can sometimes be the fastest way to the |
| down from here?" | | | | sale and the only way into a long-term relationship. |
| He replied, "Yes, it's right over there, it's the | | | | |