23 Summarize, Bridge, Pull

The relationship begins after the sale is made.

—Theodore Levitt

The End

The conclusion of a cold call does not mean the finish of the

sales process. On the contrary. The end of a cold call is the

start of the real sales process.

We have reached a critical juncture. The prospect is on

the cusp between a first conversation with a stranger and a

relationship that might last for years. If you followed our

advice so far (ahem!), this has been an unusually interesting

and productive conversation from the prospect’s perspective.

They are ready to take a next step of some kind.

But what will that step be? Who will determine it? If you

don’t, the prospect will—and that creates problems galore.

Our discussion of how to end a cold call starts with the issue

of control.

The key to ending a cold call successfully is to make dead

certain that you remain in control of the buying process.

TIP: : The end game of a cold call is all about taking

control of the next step.

Kim felt great. She had prepared for hours, and on her

third attempt she got through to the right person—a high-level

(Russian) contact. Over the past ten minutes, the cold call had uncovered some real needs that Kim and her company could

help with.

The prospect had said at the start of the call that he only

had a few minutes. Kim could sense that something else was

pressing. She wanted to end the call and get an appointment.

Kim: “Mr. Gluck, we have covered quite a bit, and it

sounds like we may be able to help you with your

inventory situation.”

Mr. Gluck: “Yes, what you have sounds interesting. Why

don’t you call Fred Spork, my inventory process

manager, and see if you two can figure something

out.”

Kim: “That sounds great. Thanks again for your time.”

Well, hey, what’s wrong with that? Kim got a reference.

She gets to call Fred, and she has the power to say, “Your boss

told me we should talk.” She did well in the first place to get

through to Mr. Gluck, and now Fred will call her back in the

blink of an eye. She is well launched into the buy/sell process,

isn’t she?

One small problem: The prospect had all the control. It

was Mr. Gluck who told Kim what the next step would be.

And she’s thinking, “If I do what the prospect says I should do,

and I do it well, I’ll get the order.”

Yeah . . . maybe. But if she does, she’ll be lucky.

Maybe Kim agrees with the old saying, “I’d rather be

lucky than good.” We don’t. We’d rather be good. Because if

you’re good, you can repeat a success again and again.

Summarize, Bridge, and Pull

Every cold call begins with a thirty-second speech. And every

call should end with a technique called summarize, bridge,

and pull (SBP). Here is how Kim could have used SBP to keep

control of the next step in the sales process:

Kim: “Mr. Gluck, we accomplished a lot today. You

said you wanted to lower your costs up to 20 percent

by managing your inventory flow more effectively,

you see this being implemented by the

end of the year, and we discussed how we might

be able to help. Would you agree?”

Mr. Gluck: “Yes, I would. It has been a good meeting.”

Kim: “Great. So as a next step, let’s sit down together.

We’ll learn more about what you really want to

accomplish, and you’ll learn more about what

we do. At that point, you will be in a perfect position

to determine if we should go any further.

Does that sound good to you?”

That’s an example of a well-executed SBP. Let’s take it

apart to see the structure. Then we can build it back up.

A well-executed SBP has three parts:

1. They/you

2. Bridge

3. Next step

They/You

Summarize the discussion you just had, making sure to

put the prospect’s position first. Let us stress that: Never put

your own position ahead of the prospect’s. Start with an introduction

statement, then go right for a they/you position

statement.

Intro Statement and They/You Summary: “Mr. Gluck,

we accomplished a lot today. You said you wanted

to lower your costs up to 20 percent by managing

your inventory flow more effectively. You see this

being implemented by the end of the year. And we

discussed how we might be able to help.”

Bridge

Prepare the prospect to cross the bridge with you by asking a

simple question: Do they agree with your upbeat summary of

the call? Are you seeing eye to eye so far?

Bridge: “Would you agree?”

“Yes, I would. It has been a good meeting.”

Usually the prospect agrees because you merely summarized

a conversation that just took place. All they’re agreeing

to is that, yes, they said X, you said Y, and it sounds okay so

far.

If the prospect does not agree with the bridge question,

you will uncover an objection that has to be dealt with. We’ll

discuss that in Chapter 24.

Pull—Next Step

Now, you propose the next step in the process, instead of leaving

a vacuum for the prospect to fill.

Pull: “Great. So as a next step, let’s sit down together.

We’ll learn more about what you really want

to accomplish, and you’ll learn more about what

we do. At that point, you will be in a perfect position

to determine if we should go any further. Does that

sound good to you?”

Again, in most cases, the prospect will agree. For one

thing, this would, indeed, be a logical next step. For another,

it’s a next step that promises to leave the prospect in full control:

“You’ll be in a position to determine if we should go further.”

That promise is true. But in fact, you have taken control

at the end of the call by determining what the next step will

be. You have completed an SBP.

An SBP should be done at every meeting and after every

conversation with the prospect. It’s easy to lose control of a

deal. It can happen in a split second. And it usually happens

at the end of a meeting, when a prospect takes over and sends

the deal in a different direction than you want it to go. You

think it’s just a detour. But this is no detour; it is a battle for

the steering wheel.

Did the prospect grab the wheel before you got to the SBP?

Did they derail the SBP somehow? It doesn’t matter. You need

to take back control of the next step:

“Mr. Gluck, we have covered quite a bit, and it

sounds like we may be able to help you with your inventory

situation . . . “

“Yes, what you have sounds interesting. Why don’t

you call Fred Spork, my inventory process manager,

and see if you two can figure something out.”

“That sounds great, and I’ll do that. Then let’s get

back together and go over the results so you’ll be in

a position to determine if we should go any further.”

(“Because there is no way I’m getting off this phone

without control of the next step in the process,” is

what you need to be thinking.)

Salespeople often end a cold call thinking they are in control,

when in actuality someone else is pulling the strings. It

isn’t that you don’t want to talk to Fred Spork. Of course you

want to meet with him—he’s the inventory manager. But don’t

be fobbed off on Spork as a dead end. Stay in charge of that future

step. Summarize, bridge, and pull is a way to make sure

you’re in control of the meeting when the meeting ends.

Cautionary Tips

Here are some don’ts. These are things NOT to do at the end of

a cold call.

_ Don’t forget to follow the 3:1 Rule. In your summary

statement, always mention three of the prospect’s concerns

for every one of yours.

“Mr. Gluck, we accomplished a lot today. You said

you wanted to (1) lower your costs up to 20 percent

by (2) managing your inventory flow more effectively.

You see this (3) being implemented by the end

of the year. And we discussed (1 for you) how we

might be able to help.”

Stop right there and go to “Do you agree?” Do not spend

the next few minutes summarizing what you can do. You already

did that during the call.

_ Don’t ask the prospect what to do next. This is sales at

its reactionary worst. You’re the one who made the

call or asked for the initial meeting. You must know

what the next step should be—or at least what you’d

like it to be. (If you don’t, figure it out before you ever

make another cold call.) You suggest the next step—

always.

_ Don’t just follow the next step the prospect does suggest.

The law of sales control says that the buyer is always

neutral. If you aren’t controlling the sales process,

someone else is. And that someone else usually

isn’t leaning in your direction.

_ Don’t follow the buyer’s process. Some companies—

and even some individuals—have a formal, complex

buying process of their own. Some salespeople believe

that if they jump through the hoops of this process better

than anyone else, they will win the deal. This is

nonsense. If it wasn’t your process to begin with, it won’t be yours at the end. The person who owns this

deal will be the one who put the process together.

Look for ways to route the train back onto your tracks.

“Sure Mr. Gluck, we can do that, and we will. A first

step we may want to take before we get there may

be . . . “

“That’s a great idea. Before we do that, we should

first . . . “

“That is a good process, and we’ll follow it. As a first

step to get there, why don’t we have a meeting with

you and your staff to discuss . . . “

Don’t let that train start running away from you. Your

train, your tracks; keep it that way.

_ Don’t forget the bridge. This is an easy trap to fall into.

The bridge looks like such a small, inconsequential

contraption, sitting there between summarize and

pull. But leaving it out can ruin a sale.

“Mr. Gluck, we accomplished a lot today. You said

you wanted to get your products through the development

cycle 20 percent faster, and we discussed

how we might be able to help, (no Bridge) so I think

a good next step would be . . . “

A bridge is always needed, and you must walk hand in

hand with the prospect across it. You can’t cross it first and

then yell to the prospect to come along. If you do, prospects

will feel they are “getting sold.” So don’t forget to pack your

bridge phrases:

_ Would you agree?

_ Does this sound about right?

_ Is this what you thought we covered today?

_ Are we of the same opinion on this?

_ Do you concur?

Summarize, bridge, and pull is a powerful tool in the

prospector’s bag. Every cold call—indeed, every sales call—

requires a next step. Without an SBP, control of the sales process

is up for grabs.

The relationship begins after the sale is made.

—Theodore Levitt

The End

The conclusion of a cold call does not mean the finish of the

sales process. On the contrary. The end of a cold call is the

start of the real sales process.

We have reached a critical juncture. The prospect is on

the cusp between a first conversation with a stranger and a

relationship that might last for years. If you followed our

advice so far (ahem!), this has been an unusually interesting

and productive conversation from the prospect’s perspective.

They are ready to take a next step of some kind.

But what will that step be? Who will determine it? If you

don’t, the prospect will—and that creates problems galore.

Our discussion of how to end a cold call starts with the issue

of control.

The key to ending a cold call successfully is to make dead

certain that you remain in control of the buying process.

TIP: : The end game of a cold call is all about taking

control of the next step.

Kim felt great. She had prepared for hours, and on her

third attempt she got through to the right person—a high-level

(Russian) contact. Over the past ten minutes, the cold call had uncovered some real needs that Kim and her company could

help with.

The prospect had said at the start of the call that he only

had a few minutes. Kim could sense that something else was

pressing. She wanted to end the call and get an appointment.

Kim: “Mr. Gluck, we have covered quite a bit, and it

sounds like we may be able to help you with your

inventory situation.”

Mr. Gluck: “Yes, what you have sounds interesting. Why

don’t you call Fred Spork, my inventory process

manager, and see if you two can figure something

out.”

Kim: “That sounds great. Thanks again for your time.”

Well, hey, what’s wrong with that? Kim got a reference.

She gets to call Fred, and she has the power to say, “Your boss

told me we should talk.” She did well in the first place to get

through to Mr. Gluck, and now Fred will call her back in the

blink of an eye. She is well launched into the buy/sell process,

isn’t she?

One small problem: The prospect had all the control. It

was Mr. Gluck who told Kim what the next step would be.

And she’s thinking, “If I do what the prospect says I should do,

and I do it well, I’ll get the order.”

Yeah . . . maybe. But if she does, she’ll be lucky.

Maybe Kim agrees with the old saying, “I’d rather be

lucky than good.” We don’t. We’d rather be good. Because if

you’re good, you can repeat a success again and again.

Summarize, Bridge, and Pull

Every cold call begins with a thirty-second speech. And every

call should end with a technique called summarize, bridge,

and pull (SBP). Here is how Kim could have used SBP to keep

control of the next step in the sales process:

Kim: “Mr. Gluck, we accomplished a lot today. You

said you wanted to lower your costs up to 20 percent

by managing your inventory flow more effectively,

you see this being implemented by the

end of the year, and we discussed how we might

be able to help. Would you agree?”

Mr. Gluck: “Yes, I would. It has been a good meeting.”

Kim: “Great. So as a next step, let’s sit down together.

We’ll learn more about what you really want to

accomplish, and you’ll learn more about what

we do. At that point, you will be in a perfect position

to determine if we should go any further.

Does that sound good to you?”

That’s an example of a well-executed SBP. Let’s take it

apart to see the structure. Then we can build it back up.

A well-executed SBP has three parts:

1. They/you

2. Bridge

3. Next step

They/You

Summarize the discussion you just had, making sure to

put the prospect’s position first. Let us stress that: Never put

your own position ahead of the prospect’s. Start with an introduction

statement, then go right for a they/you position

statement.

Intro Statement and They/You Summary: “Mr. Gluck,

we accomplished a lot today. You said you wanted

to lower your costs up to 20 percent by managing

your inventory flow more effectively. You see this

being implemented by the end of the year. And we

discussed how we might be able to help.”

Bridge

Prepare the prospect to cross the bridge with you by asking a

simple question: Do they agree with your upbeat summary of

the call? Are you seeing eye to eye so far?

Bridge: “Would you agree?”

“Yes, I would. It has been a good meeting.”

Usually the prospect agrees because you merely summarized

a conversation that just took place. All they’re agreeing

to is that, yes, they said X, you said Y, and it sounds okay so

far.

If the prospect does not agree with the bridge question,

you will uncover an objection that has to be dealt with. We’ll

discuss that in Chapter 24.

Pull—Next Step

Now, you propose the next step in the process, instead of leaving

a vacuum for the prospect to fill.

Pull: “Great. So as a next step, let’s sit down together.

We’ll learn more about what you really want

to accomplish, and you’ll learn more about what

we do. At that point, you will be in a perfect position

to determine if we should go any further. Does that

sound good to you?”

Again, in most cases, the prospect will agree. For one

thing, this would, indeed, be a logical next step. For another,

it’s a next step that promises to leave the prospect in full control:

“You’ll be in a position to determine if we should go further.”

That promise is true. But in fact, you have taken control

at the end of the call by determining what the next step will

be. You have completed an SBP.

An SBP should be done at every meeting and after every

conversation with the prospect. It’s easy to lose control of a

deal. It can happen in a split second. And it usually happens

at the end of a meeting, when a prospect takes over and sends

the deal in a different direction than you want it to go. You

think it’s just a detour. But this is no detour; it is a battle for

the steering wheel.

Did the prospect grab the wheel before you got to the SBP?

Did they derail the SBP somehow? It doesn’t matter. You need

to take back control of the next step:

“Mr. Gluck, we have covered quite a bit, and it

sounds like we may be able to help you with your inventory

situation . . . “

“Yes, what you have sounds interesting. Why don’t

you call Fred Spork, my inventory process manager,

and see if you two can figure something out.”

“That sounds great, and I’ll do that. Then let’s get

back together and go over the results so you’ll be in

a position to determine if we should go any further.”

(“Because there is no way I’m getting off this phone

without control of the next step in the process,” is

what you need to be thinking.)

Salespeople often end a cold call thinking they are in control,

when in actuality someone else is pulling the strings. It

isn’t that you don’t want to talk to Fred Spork. Of course you

want to meet with him—he’s the inventory manager. But don’t

be fobbed off on Spork as a dead end. Stay in charge of that future

step. Summarize, bridge, and pull is a way to make sure

you’re in control of the meeting when the meeting ends.

Cautionary Tips

Here are some don’ts. These are things NOT to do at the end of

a cold call.

_ Don’t forget to follow the 3:1 Rule. In your summary

statement, always mention three of the prospect’s concerns

for every one of yours.

“Mr. Gluck, we accomplished a lot today. You said

you wanted to (1) lower your costs up to 20 percent

by (2) managing your inventory flow more effectively.

You see this (3) being implemented by the end

of the year. And we discussed (1 for you) how we

might be able to help.”

Stop right there and go to “Do you agree?” Do not spend

the next few minutes summarizing what you can do. You already

did that during the call.

_ Don’t ask the prospect what to do next. This is sales at

its reactionary worst. You’re the one who made the

call or asked for the initial meeting. You must know

what the next step should be—or at least what you’d

like it to be. (If you don’t, figure it out before you ever

make another cold call.) You suggest the next step—

always.

_ Don’t just follow the next step the prospect does suggest.

The law of sales control says that the buyer is always

neutral. If you aren’t controlling the sales process,

someone else is. And that someone else usually

isn’t leaning in your direction.

_ Don’t follow the buyer’s process. Some companies—

and even some individuals—have a formal, complex

buying process of their own. Some salespeople believe

that if they jump through the hoops of this process better

than anyone else, they will win the deal. This is

nonsense. If it wasn’t your process to begin with, it won’t be yours at the end. The person who owns this

deal will be the one who put the process together.

Look for ways to route the train back onto your tracks.

“Sure Mr. Gluck, we can do that, and we will. A first

step we may want to take before we get there may

be . . . “

“That’s a great idea. Before we do that, we should

first . . . “

“That is a good process, and we’ll follow it. As a first

step to get there, why don’t we have a meeting with

you and your staff to discuss . . . “

Don’t let that train start running away from you. Your

train, your tracks; keep it that way.

_ Don’t forget the bridge. This is an easy trap to fall into.

The bridge looks like such a small, inconsequential

contraption, sitting there between summarize and

pull. But leaving it out can ruin a sale.

“Mr. Gluck, we accomplished a lot today. You said

you wanted to get your products through the development

cycle 20 percent faster, and we discussed

how we might be able to help, (no Bridge) so I think

a good next step would be . . . “

A bridge is always needed, and you must walk hand in

hand with the prospect across it. You can’t cross it first and

then yell to the prospect to come along. If you do, prospects

will feel they are “getting sold.” So don’t forget to pack your

bridge phrases:

_ Would you agree?

_ Does this sound about right?

_ Is this what you thought we covered today?

_ Are we of the same opinion on this?

_ Do you concur?

Summarize, bridge, and pull is a powerful tool in the

prospector’s bag. Every cold call—indeed, every sales call—

requires a next step. Without an SBP, control of the sales process

is up for grabs.