Archives for April 2020

Every marketing email I get these days has some statement like “I hope you are doing well and staying safe during the corona virus pandemic”. This is immediately followed up with some sales pitch or other. I am fairly sure their well wishes were less than sincere. There are obvious issues with expressing concern in an email because there is no tonality which would contain most of the empathy you are trying to convey. But these emails illustrate the point I want to make here. In these times of crisis, when people have many personal concerns about their safety and their family and their job, etc. you need to express your humanity more. Don’t just call someone and launch into your “business as usual” sales persona. Connect with your prospect on a human level by asking about how they are weathering the crisis. AND MEAN IT. You have to be authentic. If they relate some major issues they are going through, that is probably not the best time to try to get them to make a decision or too try to push your agenda. You are better off saying something like “sounds like that project is on hold for a while” and agree to check back in a few weeks when things settle down. Stay in touch but make sure to connect on a human level. This is not a sales technique it is just the right thing to do and you have to be sincere.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan

With many businesses shut down you may be hearing prospects tell you they can’t do anything until the shut down is over. When you hear that the best thing to do is to acknowledge that you understand and that it makes perfect sense … because it does. This is not an objection … its the reality of the times. But don’t stop there. Follow that up with the follow question “So Mary, let’s say the pandemic is over and you are back to work, what would be the next step”. This will move the discussion past the problem and let you start dealing with the issues that will come up in two months when they are back to work. The discussion can proceed to changes in the budget for the project, changes to the priority or the decision process, etc. You should end the conversation with a commitment form them when it is ok for you to follow up. This will put you at the head of the line (compared to your competitors) when things loosen up and will keep your pipeline updated and your forecasts accurate in the meantime. Always remember, however, to be respectful of the situation the prospect is in both professionally and personally.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan

There is a difference between interacting with a prospect and engaging with a prospect. When you interact, you are essentially at a superficial level with whomever you are interacting with. It is an exchange of information, but no true bond is created. On a sales call this would involve getting the basic information you would need to provide a quote or proposal. You ask a question; they give an answer. It can be cordial or even friendly. But there is not true deep understanding. The skilled salesperson, however, goes further and creates a bond with the prospect. This occurs when the salesperson asks good hard and tough questions that demonstrate that he or she understands the prospects problem and its consequences at a deep level. The prospect comes to understand that the salesperson “gets” where the prospect is coming from. Likewise, the salesperson senses that the prospect knows the salesperson has gotten to the heart of the matter. In short, both parties see (know intuitively) that the other “gets it or has a deep appreciation for the other. When this happens, engagement has been achieved. There is now a bond between the prospect and salesperson. It does not have to do with friendliness. It is about the mutual understanding that is important. That not happen in a superficial interaction not matter how friendly it is.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan