Archives for November 2014

Prospects tend to lead you on because they don’t want to hurt your feeling by saying NO. They want you to be in the game so they have 3 bidders even though they are not buying from you. They are not bad people. Beware don’t be fooled! Make sure they are committed. What are examples of happy words? “Sounds good” or “I’m interested.” When sales people hear these words, they often rush to the closing, without having accurately identified the prospect’s pain. Shock often follows when the client declines the opportunity to make the purchase. Handle the happy words by asking them “why it sounds good?” or “why they are interested?” That will help you address their pain that will help you close the deal.

Reacting to tough questions gets you into trouble. Responding leads you out of trouble. Associate the word “defensiveness” with “reacting” and “professionalism” with “responding”. Let’s say a client questions your price. If you “react”, you will offer excuses, trying to explain to the prospect why you set the prices as you did. You are fumbling to regain your footing, having been knocked down by their question. If you “respond”, you see the question about price as an opportunity to learn more from the prospect and generate sales. You can ask them questions about their pricing expectations, their budget, the features and benefits they are looking for, and the pain they are experiencing. The optimal salesperson learns to leave their emotion and defensiveness outside the door and enter a meeting with a prospect understanding that each and every objection is actually an opportunity in disguise to close sales and increase business.