Surprises can sometimes be fun, but not when you’re dealing with a prospect or customer. Surprises during a meeting, either from the prospect or from you, can be a deal breaker or, at the very least, compromise a positive relationship between you and your prospect. But there’s a Sandler technique to avoid this pitfall: Up-Front Contracts.

Up-Front Contracts, or UFCs, ensure you and your prospect will understand before each meeting what will take place during that meeting. One of David Sandler’s core rules is “No mutual mystification,” and his method of using UFCs reflects that rule.

Beyond eliminating unpleasant surprises, using a UFC allows the salesperson to maintain control during all phases of the selling process. Control of the selling process is vital to a salesperson’s success. If that control is lost by allowing the client to orchestrate meetings or introduce unexpected elements, it’s difficult – if not impossible – to effectively follow the Sandler method and close the sale. If a UFC is established, the salesperson can confidently guide client interactions and keep the sales process on track.

Each up-front contract should include five elements:

• The purpose of the meeting, contact or future action.

• The prospect/client’s agenda for the meeting and his or her expectations of the salesperson before and during the meeting.

• The salesperson’s agenda for the meeting, and his/her expectations of the prospect before and during the meeting.

• The date, location and duration of the meeting.

• The expected outcome of the meeting or interaction.

It’s important to make sure the prospect understands to and agrees to all the terms of the UFC prior to the meeting. So when the salesperson is talking to the prospect to schedule a meeting, the salesperson should be sure to review the contract with the prospect before hanging up the phone or leaving the office.

And what if the UFC is breached by the prospect? The salesperson must, at that point, determine why the prospect reneged on the original agreement and decide whether to continue with the meeting under the new conditions, reschedule the meeting with a new UFC or to end the relationship with the prospect.

The UFC is a crucial element in using the Sandler Selling System. Making a contract, and sticking to it, gives the salesperson the ability to control the selling process and focus on the specific needs of the prospect. With a UFC for each and every meeting or interaction, salespeople can take the element of surprise out of the selling process.

_{Reprinted from The President’s Club Report, © Sandler Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.}

_{Copyright 2011 Sandler Training and Insight Sales Consulting Inc. All rights reserved.}

_{John Glennon is the owner of Insight Sales Consulting Inc, the authorized Sandler Training Licensee for the Interior of British Columbia. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or toll free at 1-866-645-2047}