Go with your gut

Have you ever been in a meeting, conversation or virtually any type of interaction where your gut is telling you that either;

a. Something just isn't right
b. I am confused
c. I don't understand

First - let's not get hung up on semantics. Gut feel is simply your body's way of telling you what your mind already knows or interprets. It is really a base reaction to stimuli against your collective experience. Now let's move on.

Let's relate this to our sales domain. And managers, this applies equally to you. You are sitting down with the client, having a very meaningful discussion on business issues and you have established some significant results that can be achieved by resolving or addressing these business issues. You eventually get to a budget discussion for the "solution" that will address these issues and it seems extremely small. Or, even better, we talk about the issues and the potential benefits are a fraction of the cost of our potential "solution"! What do we do?

I have seen much variability in how people respond to these types of situations. Here is what I would suggest is an effective way to manage this: GO WITH YOUR GUT!

So, practically, what does this mean? It means that if you are feeling something or if you are seeing something that has you concerned, questioning logic, or otherwise breaking into a sweat - find a way to communicate this to the client. Do it with a level of conviction and also courtesy. Let's use the latter example. Something you may want to say at that point: "Thank you very much for that information Ms. Client. I am a little concerned however. I think we can help you achieve the results we are contemplating but it seems the anticipated benefits may be smaller than the required investment. What do you think we should do?"

A simple formula at work: State the facts, express your concern (tactfully) then ask the client how to proceed.

Put responsibility on the client to determine how to remove this roadblock. For all you know, there may be areas that you did not discuss - ancilliary benefits - that may be equally important or even more so - that could more than justify the solution. OR - these are the benefits and this may be the point to qualify the deal out. Better to know now than go down a path of detailed investigation, proposals and - wait for it - forecasting.

And by the way - this principle of expressing what you feel "in your gut" applies to all facets of your life.

All I can say is to try it in a safe environment. I am sure you will be surprised with the result.

That's all for now.

Cheers,

Steve