Some salespeople go into every meeting thinking that the objective is to close the sale. You’ve almost certainly heard the phrase “always be closing,” right? The reality is that closing the sale shouldn’t always be your goal because only thinking of the close often causes people to rush through the process. They skip steps in the sales process because they just want to get the deal done. When this happens, they miss out on building strong rapport with the client, and that can jeopardize the entire sale. 

Closing isn’t your most important goal, at least not when you first start the sales process.

At the beginning of the sales process, achieving your next commitment objective is the goal. A commitment objective is a specific, concrete action that you want the customer to agree to take. This isn’t always the sale. In fact, early on, it likely won’t be the sale. 

The commitment objective is unique for each prospect. For instance, it might be setting up a future call or scheduling a meeting with some key decision makers.

Without a commitment objective, there’s a good chance you’ll make mistakes and get in your own way. You risk talking too much, ambushing the sale by misreading the prospect’s level of certainty or missing an opportunity to learn more. 

On the other hand, knowing your commitment objective lets you create definable goals for yourself. When you focus on achieving your commitment objective, you give yourself a clear target. You won’t have to wonder if your sales call was successful or not. 

The sales process often extends beyond a single call or meeting and may proceed over several steps. If you try to close when your prospect isn’t ready, no amount of sales training or sales strategy will help you. That sabotages the whole process. 

Your commitment objective helps you stay focused, so you keep moving the sales process forward without rushing. This prevents wasted effort. Having specific goals enables you to know whether things are progressing as they should. 

One classic sales strategy is to end every interaction with either a closed deal or an agreed commitment for the future with specific details for when it will take place.

This level of sales discipline separates the winners from the losers in sales.

If you follow my sales methodology, you will build the rapport and authority to get your prospect to not only define what’s next but also decide when that next step will happen.

Remember, experience is the best teacher. Today before every sales email, text, call, or meeting, define the commitment objective. Knowing this will put you in the driver’s seat and keep you there.