What you think you heard may not be what the prospect thought they said. This leads to a lot of mis-communication and mis-communication leads to a lot of wasted time effort and ultimately heartache. The prospect says they want to get started right away and you interpret that to mean they want to start this week. What they actually meant was this quarter which is anytime in the next 3 months. You forecast a sale and mobilize the troops only to have things be “delayed” and management to get impatient with you. There is a simple fix. For important information all you have to do is confirm what you think you heard. It might sound like “So Mary I hear you saying that you want to start this week. Is that correct?” In this case she would say, “No, I want to get started before the end of August”. Your forecast is accurately noted as this project starting sometime in August and your credibility remains intact. This is a very simple concept and will keep you out of a lot of trouble.
