I'm sure you're aware of the Sandler Up-Front Contract, and the five elements of it:
Time
Purpose
Their Agenda
Our Agenda
Outcomes
Those are the elements of an up-front contract, but I want to talk about something a bit different today…
I want to discuss up-front contracts being an attitude, not just a technique/tool we use in our sales process. From a tactical perspective, up-front contracts are used at the beginning of a meeting. But up-front contracts are really a state of mind. Up-front contract are a way to think about your life, your clients, and your relationships.
Let’s look at what up-front contracts are meant to do.
Overall, they're meant to eliminate mutual mystification. Mutual mystification is when one party thinks one thing is happening, and the other party thinks something else is going to happen. Up-front contracts help by allowing you to set ground rules to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Think about having this kind of mindset…
How would that change the way you interact with EVERYBODY?
Imagine, just in your personal relationships, if you had really good up-front contracts. If you were aligned with those closest to you, if you were on the same page, if you had the level of communication where you knew what was going on with each party, and you had ground rules set. Where you knew very clearly what the boundaries were. What do you do, what do you not do?
It sounds really basic that way, yet how many relationships don't have that in it?
So, a challenge for you, if you’re willing to accept it. I want you to start thinking about using upfront contracts, if you don’t already, as a mindset rather than a technique. Technique's important, but what’s debatably more important is this mindset.
Always be thinking in terms of eliminating mutual mystification, getting on the same page, and setting ground rules.
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Check out some of my recent blog posts:
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