Have you ever heard of the sales continuum? Do you know when a customer is actually sold? There are four stages in the sales continuum: you tell them, you sell them, they tell you, and they sell you. Getting to each of these stages during the sales process can help you close the deal, increase your sales success, and attract returning customers.

The ‘You tell them’ stage

On the far left, you have the You tell them Practices. This is where you are communicating your value proposition. Here is a sampling of the goods and services it has to offer, but there is no passion. Remember, enthusiasm sells.

The ‘You sell them’ stage

Going from left to right, the next on the continuum is the You sell them Practices. This is a little better than the You tell them Practices. Now you are expressing your value proposition with passion and emotion, and the connection with the customer has improved.

The ‘They tell you’ stage

Continuing from left to right, after the You tell them and the You sell them Internships, is the They tell you Practices. This is a good stage to be in, as the client understands your position well enough to communicate it to you.

The ‘They sell you’ stage

And finally, at the far right of The Sales Continuum is the They sell you Practices. This is nirvana when it comes to customer acceptance. It is the point where the customer is drinking the Kool-Aid to such an extent that they are selling you your goods or services. They are passionate about it. And chances are they’re not just selling it to you, they’re selling it to others as well. This is the stage of delusional fanatics.

When you get your customers to the point where they are selling you their own stuff, WOW! That’s exciting. That’s when you know that they are indeed sold.

How can you be sure of getting through the entire sales process? Be passionate about what you are offering!

Rule n. # 1 in sales is that you must drink the Kool-Aid. If you’re not passionate about your offer, how the heck is the customer going to get excited about it? Be passionate and passionate about your client.

Where are you on the sales continuum? Do you and your sales team have technical selling solutions? Do you have the sales training and passion to consistently outperform and grow the business? No matter what you do, remember: passion, process, and execution. This is your way through the entire sales continuum and your way to sales success.