A tip for anyone in sales – don’t be Chico!

This is Chico.

What a handsome devil!

Chico loves nothing more than going to the park and chasing his ball.
I throw it, he sprints after it, picks it up, races back and drops it at my feet.
I pick it up, throw it again and off he goes. We do this again and again until eventually he sits down – exhausted but happy.

So why am I sharing this? Well, some salespeople operate a bit too much like Chico – especially early in the sales process.

🐶 A prospect asks for a proposal and we, with Chico like enthusiasm, chase after this ‘ball’ and send them one.
🐶 The prospect asks for indicative pricing and again, like a good dog, we chase after it and get them their pricing.
🐶 The prospect wants a demo and again, we wag our tails and off we go.

Not only does this make us super busy, the prospect might just be information gathering and have no intention to buy from us whatsoever.

So why does our inner Chico sometime take over?

Well, our FIRST reaction to a customer request is often to be nice. We want to do what our customer wants. However, we are not in sales to be people pleasers. We are there to sell. And simply sending in proposals and costings is not selling. It is information sharing.

The best salespeople respond from their SECOND reaction. They resist the urge to just say yes. Instead, they try to exert more control over the dialogue. For example, they might:

✅ Ask some questions so they can better understand the context for the request. They might be able to offer a better solution than the prospect realises.
✅ Offer to create a high-level proposal with options and ask for a meeting to share and discuss these options. If they agree to such a meeting, it is a good sign.
✅ Ask the prospect for information that can help quantify financial value. If they provide it, again, a more encouraging sign.
✅ Agree to a demo on condition of a follow-up meeting with key decision making stakeholders to review. If they agree, another positive ‘progression’.

No guarantees, but these indicators all reduce the likelihood of salespeople wasting time on opportunities that are highly unlikely to close.

There is nothing wrong with being like Chico at times, but let’s do it wisely and make sure we are asking for (and getting) some ‘treats’ in return.