#021: Micro-commitments

Read time: 3 minutes

Welcome to the Succession newsletter where 250+ life science sales reps improve their sales skills in less than 5 minutes per week. If you’re getting value from these newsletters, we'd love it if you could forward it along to your sales colleagues. If you’re new here, subscribe below.

Learn what it takes to close deals in 2024 by crafting a winning sales process tailored to today's challenges. Learn strategies to disrupt the status quo, overcome indecision, handle tough objections, and effectively navigate a complex buying committee. Join us to master the art of closing deals in an increasingly uncertain market where the right skills make all the difference.

January 31 at 12 pm ET

There are many reasons why deals can stall. But the most common reason is a lack of micro-commitments and next steps.

Maintaining momentum in the sales process is crucial. One effective strategy to keep deals from stalling or going dark is the use of micro-commitments. These are small, but significant steps that prospects take, pulling them further into your sales funnel and significantly increasing the likelihood of winning the deal. The key emphasis is on “prospect” taking these steps. It’s not a micro-commitment if they don’t have skin in the game.

What are micro-commitments?

Micro-commitments are incremental actions taken by prospects in the sales process. Each commitment, no matter how small, signifies a deeper engagement and level of interest. By breaking down your specific sales process into smaller, manageable actions, you not only make it easier for your prospect to continue but also build a framework of trust and reliability.

Identify the key actions in YOUR sales process

Outline and document every action and decision that will (or might) occur in your unique sales process. Whether it's scheduling a product demo, providing additional data, running a free trial, legal reviews, or arranging a meeting with other key stakeholders, each action needs to be identified and strategically placed in the sales cycle. Understanding these steps allows you to effectively guide your prospect through the decision process.

Primary and secondary objectives

Before every single sales call, write down your primary and secondary objectives. The primary objective is your ideal outcome, like scheduling a follow-up meeting or a product demonstration. Whatever the next ideal step is in the sales process. The secondary objective serves as a fallback. If the primary goal can’t be achieved (for whatever reason), the conversation still moves the prospect forward in the sales process.

Example

Primary objective: Schedule a demo of our product in action with all the stakeholders

Secondary objective: Get their existing data and decision criteria for how they would evaluate a successful demo

Selling the next step

The key to successful micro-commitments is effectively selling the "what's in it for them" to your prospects. This means clearly articulating the benefits and value they will receive by taking the next step. The prospect needs a compelling reason to engage further. Without it, you’ll end up getting ghosted.

Create a table like the one below to document all the possible micro-commitments, who needs to be involved (from both sides), and what’s in it for them.

Once you do this exercise, the next time you have a call, you already know how to sell the next step and you aren’t making it up as you go.

Examples of micro-commitments

Micro-commitments can vary widely based on different sales processes. But here are a few examples to get you started:

• Pre-call questionnaire

• Product demo

• Legal review

• Procurement process

• Get them to share data

• Proposal review

• Introduction to the economic buyer

• Introduction to other stakeholders

• Approving a quote or statement of work

• Completing a business case

• Start a free or paid trial/evaluation

• In-person face to face meeting

Lack of commitment

If a prospect doesn’t commit to any of your next steps even after selling the WIIFM (what’s in it for me), it’s unlikely you have a real chance of winning this deal. This is your opportunity to call out the lack of commitment to identify objections or disqualify the opportunity.

“It sounds like this isn’t a priority at this time…” then just sit back and let them respond.

Don’t waste your time chasing bad opportunities.

Wrapping it up

Micro-commitments break down the sales process into smaller, manageable steps to maintain deal momentum. Effective use of micro-commitments will reduce the likelihood of deals stalling, and increase their chances of success. Remember, each small commitment is a step towards winning the deal.

Ask AI to help come up with creative ways to engage opportunities that have gone dark.

Here is the response (some good ideas in here!)

1. Succession for Reps: A skill development platform for life science sales reps who want to improve their sales skills, exceed their quota, and take the next step in their career.

2. Succession for Teams: If you’re a sales leader who’s frustrated with reps living in reactive mode and either not proactively generating new opportunities or letting prospects go dark, reach out to learn more about our team plans.

3. Strategy Call: Need more than training? Want help implementing and executing your sales strategy? In a 30-minute call, we will assess your company’s current situation and identify growth opportunities.

4. Uncover Your Sales Blindspots: You know your sales team can do better but you're not sure where to start. This 20-question assessment is your path to clarity.