Sales, like dating, thrives on momentum. The second you lose it, you're at risk of being ghosted. Maintaining that momentum begins with your sales process.
First Things First
You need a proven sales process, and every stage needs a unique purpose and goal. Your salespeople must be able to take and maintain control throughout that process. With aligned prospects, each stage should conclude with a secured date and time in the calendar (what I call a "Closed Loop").
If you're doing all of this right, as a salesperson, you should never have to write a "Checking In" or "Following Up" email.
The Danger of "Open Loops"
We know from The Jolt Effect that 40-60% of sales opportunities end in "No Answer" or "No Decision" (many of those are ghosts haunting your deal pipeline right now!). Yet, salespeople often end positive and aligned meetings without securing that vital next step. They leave an "open loop." But why does this happen?
Even worse, I see it happening most frequently in the later stages of the process. After presenting a proposal, many salespeople become comfortable with the relationship they've built. They think, “There’s no way my prospect is going to ghost me.” So, when the prospect says, “We’ll meet internally and get back to you next week,” the salesperson accepts it.
What happens next? “Just checking in…” or “Following up…” And the chase is on, with a pit in their stomach as they hit refresh all day long, praying for that ghost to come back.
Why It's a Problem
In today’s competitive landscape—where you're often competing with direct and indirect options, coupled with complex buying groups (5.4+ stakeholders)—it’s extremely rare (<1%) for a prospect to make an immediate yes/no decision right after you present your proposal. So, why aren’t we including a "Final Proposal Review" stage in the process? I rarely, if ever, see this stage in CRMs. Instead, salespeople rely on a hopeful follow-up that often leads to no response.
Closing the Loop
The solution? Don’t put yourself in this position in the first place. Your sales process should be built around maintaining control by clearly articulating the next step and securing that closed loop before ending each meeting.
If, for some reason, the opportunity gets delayed or reprioritized (see: My Prospect Isn’t Ready to Buy... So Now What?), you can still secure your "Goldilocks" closed loop—a next step that’s just right for the situation.
Conclusion
Don't let your momentum fizzle out. A well-defined sales process with purpose at every stage, where you secure a next step each time, keeps you in control. By closing every loop, you’ll never need to "check in" or "follow up" again.
Go Deeper
Carver Peterson helps growth-minded leaders and organizations achieve predictable and sustainable revenue growth through a refined strategy, defined process and aligned structure.
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