Learning the Sales Cycle

An important concept for any business is the sales cycle, or how long it generally takes between the time you first approach a customer and when a purchase actually takes place. This is particularly important for writers, because their own impatience loses a tremendous amount of work.

I've often spoken to writers and seen posts on writing boards telling how, after sending a query or letter of introduction and hearing nothing for two or three weeks, the writers gave up and went to try and find another source of business. They tell themselves that they gave up because they assumed that the prospects weren't interested. In reality, they gave up because they insisted on putting themselves first in the potential relationship and assumed that their schedule was the client's schedule. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

When making a successful sale, you have to meet four conditions:

• the right offer


• to the right person


• for the right price


• at the right time

We're just going to look at the third condition today. What does the right time mean? As any smart business knows, the right time is when the customer is ready to part with money for what you offer. Note that it's not when the business approaches the customer. That is the sign of someone trying to quickly do business and run; in other words, a con. No, it's when the customer is ready.

Does your car need brakes every day, or every year? No. Yet that doesn't keep companies from marketing their services to you. That's because they don't know when you might need those brakes, so they want to be at the top of your mind. The cycle of need is different for various industries, and even sections of them. In our cases, publications are typically looking for "products" all the time. Corporations look for writers are various times, depending on their business needs. But even within a type of client, things will widely vary. I've seen some magazines look for material two weeks before going to press and others that schedule a year or more in advance. Some corporations have regular need of writing, and others, sporadic.

You have to get to know the rhythms of a specific client to learn how to market to it. For example, I just got an assignment from a large corporation. I've been in contact with the appropriate people for about six months - a typical sales cycle in such cases. Why? Because the client has to accomplish four things:

• get comfortable with you


• find an open opportunity


• ensure that you would be suited to the opportunity


• do everything else they have to do

That last point is possibly the most critical, because the client representative is probably inundated with other tasks and expectations. Figuring out how to employ you is low on the list. The same things happen at magazines. The editors are busy with many things, they try to slot ideas at the best times, and they work in bastions of inefficiency.

The only generally effective way to deal with this problem is to keep in touch with the prospect. Wait three weeks and nicely touch base - by phone. Why phone? Because when you get someone on the phone, it's a lot harder to ignore your gentle prodding.

Technique and genuine respect are everything in these calls. You always start by asking if the person has time to chat briefly. This shows your understanding of their needs and also sets the expectation of a short time on the phone (which can grow if necessary). At worst you learn that the client isn't interested. More likely, though, you'll find that the person hasn't really considered what you sent, or is circulating it. In that case, say some variation of the following: "Great. When should I get back in touch?" By putting it politely, the person will almost never refuse, and you've also taken control of the sales process. Then you follow up and follow up and follow up, each time setting the next time to touch base.

This demonstrates your businesslike attitude and resolve to work within their sales cycle - and you might often find that you'll get work because it's easier for the contact to do so than it is to brush you off. I once had an editor say, "One big reason you're getting this assignment is because you're so persistent."

I know. That's why I do it.