Training Tip Tuesday: Transitioning

The days in between two holidays sometimes feel that the business world has paused itself. It is not the time to launch a new initiative nor is it the time to require mandatory trainings. This week’s Training Tip sets you up for success as the world returns to its working pace next week. And this week’s topic Transition Statements falls just as we transition to 2022.

During your sales process, the Transition Statement is the “ask” to move to the next stage. For example, once you have identified a suspect and qualified them using your 4 Key Attributes and Elevator Questions, it is time to ask them for a meeting to enter the next stage of the process. In that meeting you will gather more information before proposing the solution you are uniquely qualified to provide them. So what do you say to schedule that meeting?

Build your Transition Statement by following the Level Playing Field Framework.

Purpose - What is the desired outcome of the meeting?

Process - How are you going to run the meeting?

Time - How much time do you need for the meeting?

Here are a few examples:

My company specializes in the problem you just described to me. Would you be interested in a 30-minute consultative meeting to see if we are a good fit?

It sounds like you are not getting the service you need from your current provider. I think we may be able to provide you comparable products with superior service, but I need to know more specifics. Would you be open to meeting with me for 45 minutes to explore this further?

This is the kind of sentence you frequently use so you should spend a few minutes drafting it. Once you have developed a Transition Statement, repeat it out loud until you have memorized the key points.