Last night, as I reviewed my materials for an upcoming presentation, I was struck by how most issues in selling can be easily fixed by doing just one thing. If you do this one thing over and over again, 
you will sell more products and services. It has no creative acronym; it doesn’t involve a process; and I know you can already do it.
Drum roll please…
It is ask. I underlined it and bolded it because I don’t want you to miss this piece of brilliance.
Don’t have any referrals from your customers? Ask
Don’t have an recommendations on your LinkedIn page? Ask
Wonder why the big sale has seemed to stop moving forward? Ask
Wonder why your wife is not talking to you? Ask (Nope strike that – you should know. Just bring flowers.)
My kids are very good at this. If they want to go to McDonalds, they ask. If they want to see the latest Toy Story Movie, they ask. Somewhere along the way from childhood to where you are now, you lost the ability to just come right out and ask. We hedge, we skirt around topics because we don’t want to seem rude, aggressive or maybe we are just afraid. I understand the reasons why but what is the worst thing that can happen when we ask the prospect if they are going to move forward? The worst thing they can say is, “no.”
“No” is still a possibility, even if you never ask. “No” is a gift – it frees you up to do other things, it allows you to move on. Do yourself a favor. If you have been wondering about a deal that seems stalled, pick up the phone, call your prospect, and ask what is going on.
Happy selling!
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