Last month I started this new series of articles entitlednumber one sales tip for the month. The goal was to take something - a situation or a question that one of my clients had asked and that we had helped them with and convert that into a helpful tip for everyone. So here is October.

Many reps struggle with the idea of being too pushy. In reality if you struggle with the concept itself there is probably no way that you are ever seen as pushy, the fact that you have this belief probably makes it so difficult to apply pressure that even when you think you do - you really don't.

One thing you need to realize - if you live in fear of being too pushy - is that the prospect or client is probably expecting some from you (push in the form of guidance) They don't want to be strong-armed or have someone applying high pressure of course but they do expect leadership and they are probably looking to you to be the expert. Do you deliver on that expectation? Do you realize that the prospect is on the other side just thinking " I wish you would just tell me what to do!"

Imagine this - you go to the doctor, he sees the problem and he identifies it clearly. He realizes that it could be fatal. He makes no recommendation because he does not want you to think he is pushy.

You visit your CPA - he notices some costly mistakes but doesn't suggest any adjustment because he doesn't want you to look at him as being a pushy accountant.

Your mechanic notices a really severe problem on your car, he could make a suggestion as to how it can be fixed but hesitates because he doesn't want to be pushy.

Do you get the point?

None of us get irritated when a trusted expert has identified a problem that we need help with. In fact the reverse would be true - we would be upset that they didn't tell us! We expect experts to share the bad news, the tough diagnosis and the painful steps to recovery. At the same time we don't view any of that as pushy, we simply view it as help. So if you are nervous about offering your help or explaining recommendations that lead to a close why? Are you not an expert? Have you not established the right level of trust?

Has it occurred to you that not "pushing" might bring your expertise and your qualifications into question?

One of the way's I helped the rep that shared this issue was to have them walk me through what they thought the client in question should be doing next and why - it sounded great. "Now I want you to share it with the client exactly the same way" I told him - "just preface it by saying this":

"Typically my clients like me to walk them through things so that they know what happens next..." or "usually my customers appreciate it if I just share some thoughts on to how we make this all come together?"

The prospect was simply waiting for someone to explain what the close, the moving forward and the agreement actually meant. When they did the deal closed. Are your prospects waiting for a similar explanation?

If your prospects are just waiting to be closed properly are you or your sales people able to execute on that expectation?