Hearing and Agreement and Commitment

Posted by jodyseivert on November 28, 2011 · 3 Comments 

…are not the same. This is one of the subtleties of selling. Let me draw the differences for you.

Hearing means that the buyer heard the seller: “This sofa is $6500 as shown” says the seller – and the buyer nods. Since silence often implies consent the seller keeps moving forward, thinking that the buyer just agreed to a $6500 sofa and the sale is imminent.

Agreement means that the buyer agrees with the seller: “This sofa is $6500 as shown…which works within the budget you have for this item, correct?” And the buyer says yes, agreeing that the budget and the sofa price are in the same ballpark. And that’s all that they agreed to, but the seller may think it’s more than that.

Commitment means that the buyer agrees to take action that the seller offers: “This sofa is $6500 as shown, which means it works within the budget for this item. Can we order this today?” And the buyer either says yes or stalls or says no. Make no mistake – here and only here is where the seller asked the buyer to buy.

Take a look at your sales process and execution. Have you collapsed one for the other and thought you were further along the road than you actually were? Have you thought you had commitment when you only had agreement, and were left wondering why the sale didn’t close?

The power is being real about your selling actions so that you can make the subtle differences work for you. To get a commitment you have to ask for it, which is easier to do if there is already agreement – but know they are not the same.

With thanks and love,
Jody

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Filed under Designers, Retail, sales, showroom · Tagged with agreement, commitment, hearing