It's the little things that make salespeople and sales interactions successful. And sometimes it's the little things that can lose a sale, as almost happened to a client of mine in the roofing industry.
My client had talked with a homeowner, inspected the roof, and met with the insurance adjuster. The homeowner seemed ready to move forward with the roof replacement using my client, and there was just a little bit of paperwork left to finish. As my client was putting the claim together, he realized he needed two more small pieces of information from the insurance company.
My client called the homeowner to give him a quick status update about the two missing pieces of information. During the course of that phone call, the homeowner started saying that he wasn't sure my client's roofing company was the right fit for him and that he wanted to get a few more bids before making a decision.
This was a completely different outcome of that phone call than my client expected based on prior conversations. My client recognized that they weren't connecting well over the phone and asked if they could meet again in person to review the paperwork, and the homeowner agreed.
When they sat down to discuss in person, it turns out that it was a small (but important) thing that had changed the homeowner's mind and sent him looking for other bids. The homeowner had mixed up the meaning of deductible and depreciation. So when my client was talking about the depreciation of the roof, the homeowner thought it meant my client's company couldn't cover his deductible, and that's all he really wanted. The homeowner didn't have the cash on hand to cover his deductible, and he needed a roofing company that would cover it for him.
Once my client clarified those two terms and ensured the homeowner that they would cover his deductible, things got back on track, and the homeowner used my client for his roof replacement.
This same type of scenario happens in many different industries every single day. A small misunderstanding about terminology, expectations or the process can lose a big sale.
In Sandler, we know this as Sandler Rule #3: No Mutual Mystification. Mutual mystification is what happens when two parties have different expectations and don't take the time to clarify them up front. It also happens when industry jargon dominates a conversation and the prospect isn't familiar with the terms.
It's our job as sales professionals to identify expectations up front, define any phrases or terms that might be confusing, and make sure all parties are in sync with what has happened and what will happen. If we don't do that well, we risk losing a big sale over a little misunderstanding.