17 ASKING FOR THE BUSINESS

ASK FOR THE BUSINESS

“You must ask for the business!” How many times have you heard that admonition? Plenty of times, I’m sure. So are you doing it? At some point in your process of attempting to turn a prospect into a client, are you asking the prospect to become a client? Are you asking the prospect to take action?

In the introduction to this section, I shared my philosophy on sales—that selling is simply a series of seeking permissions: permission to ask questions, permission to probe further, permission to keep the process moving to the next logical step. Well, one could say this is the “ultimate permission.” You’re seeking permission to confirm the new relationship.

I personally use every idea in this chapter. ...

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