Several months ago, I wrote about what closing actually feels like.  This week, I’d like to discuss what urgency actually feels like.  I’ve written about urgency in at least three prior Baseline Selling tips.  You can read them here, here and here.

Do you remember the old TV commercial where the TV star said, “I’d like to talk with you about diarrhea”? If you remember the actor’s name, send me an email. Although diarrhea has its place in the long list of sales mistakes – as in diarrhea of the mouth – I am “relieved” to say we won’t be talking about diarrhea, or going number two, in this article.  However, I would like to discuss going number one.

I’m sure that there has been a time in your life where you have had to go number one so badly that you thought you would burst.  Maybe you were in the car, at the beach, in a shopping district on a Caribbean island, in the window seat in coach or some other place where it wasn’t possible or convenient to go.

If you’re like me, there are two distinct levels of pressure; the first level, tremendous pressure, is the result of drinking water.  The second level includes the pressure along with actual pain, the result of drinking soda.  Have you felt it?  Have you experienced it enough to relate to what I’m talking about?

That’s urgency. That’s now. It can’t wait.

It’s that urgency you should feel to get your pipeline filled, to move opportunities along in the pipeline, and to get closable opportunities closed. Now. If you feel that urgency to hunt and close – great – you’re right where you should be.  if you don’t feel it, then there is probably a correlation between your level of urgency and your booked sales.

There is one more important thing to mention relative to urgency.  It’s one thing to feel it but it’s quite another to show it. Under no circumstances should your prospect EVER see or feel your urgency.  Your prospect must feel their own sense of urgency to take action.  Their urgency will come from their compelling reasons to buy from you and it’s your job to develop those compelling reasons so that it’s important enough for them to take action.