Fighting-Against“A tie is like kissing your sister.” The earliest known use of this phrase was by Navy football coach Eddie Erdelatz after a scoreless tie against Duke in 1953. The unpopularity of ties in American sports abounds everywhere you look.

Tie games, which were commonplace in the NFL up through the 1960s, have become exceedingly rare since sudden death overtime was introduced during the 1974 regular season. The first game where this new rule applied also ended in a tie between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The most recent NFL tie happened on November 16, 2008, when a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles ended at 13-13 after neither team scored in overtime.

In the college ranks, Kansas and Iowa State ended their game in a 34-34 tie on October 6, 1990, giving KU the all-time NCAA Division I-A record for tie games with 57. In Division I-AA Illinois State holds the record for ties with 66.

Wow, that really is like kissing your sister! A tie in sports is about the same as a no decision in sales and, by the way, no decision is your biggest competitor.

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The least painful way for you to conduct regular sales meetings during this New Year is by using Doug’s book, Sell is NOT a Four Letter Word along with the accompanying Study Guide. You will have enough topics for more than two years of weekly sales meetings and 3-6 open discussion questions for each meeting. Your prep and planning time just disappeared! What’s not to like? You gotta check this out.

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No decision means you’ve done all the work required to earn the sale but the buyer simply remains uncommitted about moving forward. When you find yourself in that situation, your first action should be to ask your prospect why they refuse to budge. If they will answer your question honestly, you may be able to break the logjam.

As you grapple with landing a decision, maybe it’s a good idea to consult your best friend… questions? Some questions should be asked in the mirror, and others should be directed toward your buyer. Here are some ideas.Fighting-Against1

  • Are the buyer’s objectives clearly defined? If not, how will they know they have arrived if they have no destination?
  • Is real pain being addressed or is the buyer just toying with nice to have items? Unless buyers are forced to address real pain, it’s easier for them to just punt and not spend any money.
  • Does the prospect believe that perceived value justifies the expense? If there are any doubts, you’ve got to ensure them that your solution has met their expectation.
  • Are you sure you are face to face with the folks that have the power of the pen? If additional players are needed to approve the decision, get them involved quickly.

I can remember how miserable it felt as a teenager on Saturday nights to get all dressed when I had no place to go. When you are selling, no decision is both miserable and expensive.

No decisions are really a drag in both time and money. They require just as much effort as a deal you win, but your company doesn’t get the revenue and you don’t get the commission.

 

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