The Power and Flaw of Checking In

What once was old is new again…

I’ve always despised when salespeople call clients or prospects to “check in”. These calls offer no value, are a waste of the prospect’s time, and come across as needy. It’s flawed selling.

For years I held this notion. Later, still years ago, I went through a professional sales training program called CSS through an employer. The program was licensed through Richardson. There I learned the power of checking — but an entirely different type of checking.

With Richardson-grade checking, you:

…ask for feedback throughout the call, for example, after you have positioned your message, responded to an objection, answered a question, etc.”

Doing this allows you to know — not guess — where you stand with your contact and whether the prospect or client is taking this seriously.

Now, the skill itself may not seem game-changing. But it has stuck with me to the degree that I now would say it’s part of me. Enough that I don’t think of it as “checking”, it’s just something I do.

Then I traded emails recently with Jim Brodo, Senior Vice President of Marketing, which prompted me to visit their site and their “Cyber Sales Tips”, where I was glad to see they feature checking as a professional sales skill. It reminded me of the technique and its importance…and so I pass it on to you.

Long story, short point: the power of checking is real; the power of checking-in is not. Know the difference.