Initial marketing and subsequent sales meetings should guide prospects to a buying decision by establishing a series of understandings, agreements or "commitments." These are:

• needs and wants Commitment — in which the prospect says, "Yes! I understand the need and want to solve it."
• Process Commitment — The prospect says, "Yes! I trust you and want you to help me deal with these concerns."
• Financial Commitment — where the prospect says, "Yes! I'm willing to commit X dollars to address these priorities."
• Solution Commitment — in which the prospect says, "Yes! This is what I want. It's too risky waiting. Let's do it!"

When each of these relatively minor commitments is made, buying becomes a natural part of a problem-solving process, not a major decision made all at once. Though people may be motivated by a wide range of emotions, including love, pride, duty, greed — even the fear of appearing foolish — there's a clear, compelling logic behind their buying decisions. What's more, once having made these agreements, it becomes very hard for prospects to raise the four most common forms of objections: no need, no confidence, no money, no hurry.