Sales professionals should ensure that all decision makers are (or will be) present to hear their presentations to prevent delays in the sales process. If not, sales professionals will either have to conduct the presentation again or rely on a middle man to convey the information to the decision maker(s). Since a middle man cannot present the information as well, sales professionals may not be invited back to continue the selling process.

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Before fully conducting a presentation, you should ask a similar version of this question: “Will you need the approval of someone else before making an investment decision?” Below are the episodes I experienced when I did not ask this question.

In the beginning of my sales career I made the mistake of not asking this question when I assumed that all decision makers were present. I made a sales presentation to a retired couple and at the end of the presentation when I asked for the sale, the couple stated that they had to speak with their daughter who lived in another state.

I presented to a sole company owner and when I asked for the business, he stated that he needed to speak with his brother before making a decision. I presented to an individual who was the sole owner of his new home and when I asked for the sale he stated that had to speak with his wife. I ended up making the same presentation to his wife and when I asked for the business, she stated that she had to discuss it with her husband.

In all three of the above cases I eventually acquired the business after conducting the presentations again to all of the decision makers.

However, I did not experience the same success when I had to rely on a middle man to present the information to the other decision makers or stakeholders. In the majority of these cases, the sales process was terminated once the decision makers (I did not present to) asked about the required investment.

In conclusion, before conducting sales presentations you should ask and confirm that all decision makers are present. By asking this one question, you can accelerate the selling process, increase your productivity, and generate more new business.