If you look at enough pipelines, you might find the most abused ingredient is the information in the WHN and WHN Date fields. Why do you suppose that happens?

When performing autopsies of sales calls or scrubbing pipelines I so often hear:

• “I’m gonna catch-up with them next _______ and see what’s going on regarding ___________.”

• “They wanted me to touch-base with them last week. I left a message and they still haven’t responded. I know they were gonna be out-of-town…”
• “They needed to speak with ___________ and see what the budget was like so I told ‘em I’d call next week and check-in.”

Each of those phrases is usually followed by a reason/justification/excuse for why the amateur salesperson was ghosted.

Inspect what you expect! - John Paul Meyer

Belief: All meetings should begin with an agenda of some sort (for example the SAYA Expectations Check) and end with a clearly defined, What Happens Next. (If that’s not a non-negotiable for you yet it should be…on a lifetime, professional and personal level!)

A What Happens Next, when viewed in slow motion, looks like this…

1. Start with expectations: Clearly identify the behavior that you want to see, explain why that behavior is needed, and identify the goals that need to be achieved. (You might even script the response: You’ll be able to tell me…, That’ll move us forward because…, What do think she’ll tell you that you’ll be able to share with me?…)
2. Build in milestones: If the time to the WHN seems long, identify specific points along the way to ensure that the goal is still relevant and that the person is still on track. The main reason for executing a performance agreement is to maximize success. Do what you can to make success as achievable as possible. (With a routine performance goal, you need milestones to ensure that things are progressing smoothly. You don't want a surprise when it's time to evaluate a person's overall performance, so build in checkpoints to stay on top of performance before it gets too far off track.)
3. Agree on the terms: Matched Expectations regarding the WHN are a two-way street. If you simply dictate what the person will do, you may be disappointed with the outcome. When goals are agreed upon mutually, you're more likely to see progress. Take time to develop goals together, and be prepared to discuss the "whys" at length. This is a joint process – it needs acceptance from both parties for it to work.
4. Schedule accountability meetings: Milestones form the basis for accountability. When people know you'll be following up, they'll be much more likely to quickly get to work on the goal. If they think you'll simply forget about it, they probably will too. Schedule regular meeting times to review goals, discuss what's happening, and make adjustments as necessary.
5. Establish outcome results and consequences: Whenever you put together a contract, even what seems to be a casual WHN, the other person probably expects to get something for fulfilling the terms of that contract. Whatever the case, clearly state what happens if the goal is or is not met. This is especially critical for performance improvement agreements, because you need a next step if the person fails to improve within an agreed upon, and reasonable, amount of time.
6. Make the agreement transparent: Both or all parties should understand the consequences of action or inaction. When a formal agreement outlines specific and measurable expectations, it doesn't leave much room for argument. If the person fails to live up to the agreement, then you have a process in place that you can follow. 

Back to real-time. The WHN, from that PSC (Professional Sales Consultant), might look a little like this.

• “This has been a good meeting. Do you agree that we need to do a little homework (specific details of the homework) and meet again?”

• “Get out your calendar. What day are you looking at?” (Maintaining the idea that “people do things for their reasons”.)

• “That’ll work.”

• (If you have any doubts (like little ole cynical me)“Are you comfortable that you’ll be able to do that? And, if something comes up on your end, you’ll let me know?”

That’s called a clearly defined future, and when applied in the What Happens Next world, it should be carved in stone!

It can be almost guaranteed that sometimes, because of your euphoria, caused by a great meeting or because time ran out or your prospect balked or, maybe you just forgot, you’ll leave the meeting without your WHN! UNACCEPTABLE!! FIX IT! (As soon as you possibly can, walk back into the office, dial the phone and call the prospect, or ___________ ASAP. Gotta’ have a WHN!)

The What If’s in the following chart will give you some practice! And reminders of the WHN significance:

Having been around for a minute, I have lots of examples, collected over decades. My preference is to work from your era and troubleshoot your issues, so please, let me know what may be blocking your way forward!

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