In Part 1 of this three-part series, we introduced the idea of mountain climbing as a metaphor for moving hot leads toward the sale.  Thorough preparation in its various forms is the first step for both.  Now you’re ready to start the real journey.  Base camp’s a long way from the summit, but the right techniques will help get you where you want to go.

Like your preparations, moving from valley to peak and lead to sale is chock full of all kinds of steps.  This piece touches on larger considerations to help you avoid the kinds of crevasses that can collapse the deal.

Establish the Prospect’s Challenge

At some point during the early stages of an expedition, the guides will brief the group on what to expect.  I.e., we’re facing these challenges.  Here’s the intended route to minimize those challenges.  Here’s the summit, that’s what success looks like.  Finally, here’s how our team’s going to get you up and back safely.

The setup for your sales presentation serves the same purpose.  You need to show your prospect you understand their challenge.  This creates rapport and subtly pokes those pain points, reminding them they need a fix asap.

Then paint the picture.  I.e., this is the best approach for overcoming the issues you’re facing.  If you roll it out properly, this is your new and improved reality.  You agree?  Well, guess what, our solution is ideal for that approach and here’s why.

In some way, shape, or form, you’re promising change.  That’s sales:  we’ll take you from one state to a better one.  You need to do a strong job of articulating what that change is, why they’re going to benefit from it, and how you’re the only one to help accomplish it.

Take the Sale One Step at a Time

When climbing a mountain, your immediate goal is not the top.  It’s literally and figuratively too lofty.  Your goal is actually a series of milestones that collectively lead to glory.  Make it from camp to the first break.  Get to the following break for lunch and a longer rest.  Eventually, you reach the next camp and accomplish that day’s main goal.  All of your energy should be focused on each successive milestone and nothing else.

Same thing from a sales standpoint.  Do you walk into your kickoff meeting and hand them a contract?  Bold strategy.

It’s more realistic and effective to treat B2B sales like traditional direct-response advertising.  As copywriting genie Joe Sugarman explained, “All the elements in an advertisement are primarily designed to do one thing and one thing only:  get you to read the first sentence of the copy.  The sole purpose of the first sentence in an advertisement is to get you to read the second sentence.”  And so on.

Keep it manageable, build the case, and avoid overreaching.

Be Prepared for Prospect Pushback

In December 2014, Kilian Jornet shot up and down 22,841-foot Aconcagua—South America’s highest peak and the tallest mountain outside the Himalayas—in less than 13 hours.  A few weeks later, I did the same thing in less than 13 days.  Unless you’re a cyborg like Jornet, massive climbs are going to incorporate rest days and acclimatization hikes.  The latter involve going up to the next camp to drop supplies and then coming back down, allowing your body time to slowly adjust to the altitude.

In other words, progress followed by backtracking all in the name of reaching your goal.

There may be various reasons you need to take a step back.  New decision makers may enter the picture triggering a fresh round of demos.  Procurement might throw a late wrench into things by calling for a line-by-line justification of your pricing.  Hesitant CFOs might want to reconsider any sort of investment in that part of their business, requiring another strategic conversation about why a change in behavior is better than the status quo.

The truth is, it’s probably going to happen at some point.  And, like climbers entering the infamous Death Zone, the further along you get the slower things may go.  That’s okay.  Embrace this as an opportunity to build consensus and gain even greater buy-in for the long term.

Both climbing and sales are exercises in preparation, patience, and perseverance.  They require you to negotiate unexpected conditions and take calculated risks.  Occasionally, the best decision is to cut your losses and turn around.  It’s tough after putting so much time and effort in, but it may just be the smart thing to do if the outcome doesn’t look good.

But, for those who make it all the way through and achieve their objective, their journey’s far from over.  Part 3 considers the most important part of the climb and the sale.

Go to Part 3.