In spite of sales cycles, sales proceses, a sense of urgency or need, at the end of the day your selling on your customers time, not yours.

Your customers have a lot of decisions to make.  You are not the only purchase they will make this quarter or this year.   They have multiple vendors, multiple people and products competing for their time.   Everyone has a sense of urgency, everyone is trying to get their products in today.

You’re competing with more than your competition, your competing with every decision your client has to make.   Clients won’t buy everything put in front of them, even if they like it or want it.  They only have so much money and time.

Know what your customer is buying and when.  Know who your competition is.  (Hint), it’s more than those who sell what you sell.  Then sell against them.   There are two layers of decisions clients have to make; which problems they are going to solve today and THEN, who they are going to chose to solve them.  If your product is chosen to solve a problem the client isn’t going to solve today, what good is it to be chosen.

Elevate the problem.  Make the problems you solve more important than the other problems your customer is facing.  Know your clients timelines and priorities and build your strategy around them.   Your clients have a timeline.  Selling within it is key.  But, selling to change it is how to win.