Alignment frames every successful sale

  

  

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Your ability to understand what someone wants hinges to a large degree on how well they know what they want themselves in the first place. Filtering that through language, perception, and personality style provides a glimpse of why being aligned from the start is critical to effective salesmanship.

How you spend the first ten minutes of the 4-Speed Selling process will increase your success rate and often save you time. Partly because you will understand the customer's needs better. More significantly, though, because you'll know if you can take them where they want to go.

The four C’s of alignment

Alignment works both ways. You and the prospect have to match up in four critical areas to achieve alignment.

• Connection: You understand the prospect; the prospect understands you
• Competency: You have demonstrated ability; they have the business sense
• Capability: You have the necessary skills; they have ability to approve and execute
• Cost: The prospect can afford what you're offering and you can live on what it generates.

You can't do a wrong thing right

Investing effort with a prospect who doesn't meet these baseline alignment requirements is like starting a long drive with an empty tank of gas. 

It's your responsibility to know what it takes to do business and say no to those who can't swing the hammer. You're not being cold. Quite the contrary, it's a matter of respect--for the prospect and yourself.