Command the prospect’s attention by asking good, hard, and tough questions. Asking someone good hard and tough questions is something many people are shy of. If we ask difficult questions of someone, they may not feel comfortable. If they don’t feel comfortable, they may not like us. We can’t have that! Therefore, we ask prospects easy questions. Maybe we don’t ask any questions at all, relying on our slick sales presentation to earn the prospect’s respect. However, the prospect understands human nature. If you are giving them easy pitches to hit, they aren’t thinking much of you as a pitcher. Fire in those fast balls! Work the corners of the strike zone. Give the prospect something to think about when they step up to bat. They will give you respect. Once you have their respect, they’ll listen to what you have to say – about your products, services, and solutions. Command the prospect’s attention by asking good, hard, and tough questions.
Ask for referrals from people who don’t buy from you
Ask for referrals after the prospect says “no”. This is a very powerful technique. Why not ask? You have invested a great deal of effort getting through gatekeepers, getting to know the prospect’s business, and building a relationship. They know alot about your strengths and solutions. Why walk away with nothing? Ask for a referral. Perhaps they were forced to choose a competitor’s proposal because their hands were tied for various reasons by senior management and they had no other choice. Who knows? You might be the preferred vendor in their mind anyway. Ask for a referral from prospects who don’t buy from you.
What to do when you have a financial problem
Sell your way out of problems you encounter. Are you short on cash? Are you struggling financially? Sell! When faced with financial adversity, individuals who are not in the sales profession are forced to cut costs or work additional over-time or part-time hours, if such work can be found. They are not likely to generate a significant infusion of cash in a short period of time. Salespeople, on the other hand, have that opportunity. If you double your sales efforts for a short period of time, your income will rise proportionately. Statistically, if you generate 1 sale every 20 calls, you know you will generate 2 sales if you make 40 calls. You can generate 3 sales if you make 60 calls. How much income do you generate per sale? Let’s say it is $ 2,500. You are financially struggling to the tune of $ 4,000. You need two additional sales to eliminate that financial burden. That’s 40 additional calls. When can you find time for 40 additional calls? Can you cut out your golf game this week? Can you chat in the office a little less about the weather for a few days? Can you make phone calls while you drive in the car instead of listening to music? Salespeople have opportunities to overcome their financial hardships in a short time span unlike any other profession. Double or triple your effort this week!
Don’t Get Sidetracked
Increase sales effectiveness by not getting sidetracked. Sometimes, being sidetracked is good. A railroad system uses sidetracks to enable faster trains to pass slower trains on the same line. Without the sidetracks, there could be no fast trains. Trains would have to use the same track one and a time. The speed of a locomotive would be irrelevant if the locomotive has to wait for a slower train in front of it. However, in sales, being sidetracked is not good at all. It means we are pulled off to the side in our pursuit to achieve our goals to close sales. We get sidetracked from increasing business by our busy schedules. We get sidetracked from our cold calling by a need for others to like us. We get sidetracked from maximizing the use of our selling skills by always serving other people’s goals instead of focusing on our own. The optimal salesperson treats his or her day like a high speed railroad track, moving at lightning speed from one goal to the next, not taking any time to waste time on a sidetrack.
Being the expert can cost you sales
I know you are the expert in your field. But you can’t increase sales by telling the prospect out right that you know best. It can come across as arrogant and can cause the prospect to argue with you. You may win the argument … but you run a high risk of losing the sale with that approach. Many salespeople feel they have to demonstrate their expertise to win the sale. They tend to do that with spiffy (love that word) presentations and demos and even with well-crafted leading questions. They try to tell the prospect what needs to be done in no uncertain terms. The real sales pros (I like to call them optimal salespeople) know that the real sales skill is not in selling the prospect on buying from you. But, rather, in having them discover on their own (with some help from you) that they should buy what you have. This is done not by being argumentative or using their powers of persuasion. The optimal sales person has a high closing rate because they use their expertise to anticipate the problems the prospect might have and then to ask good hard tough and timely questions with humility and sincerity to get the prospect to share the their problems with them. Don’t argue and don’t persuade, just lead the discussion to the compelling reason to buy and sales will increase, wasted time will decrease and your life will be less stressful. Here’s a link that goes into it in more detail.
If you want to sell better, buy better
If you want to sell better, buy better. We expect our buyers to buy the way we buy. If you are the type of person who shops around for the right deal, asking demanding questions of sellers, doing research, and comparing features and benefits, you are going to expect your buyers to do the same. If you tend to buy things on instinct, “feeling good” about a product or service without investigation, you are going to expect your buyers to purchase intuitively as well. If you believe your customers should buy from you after a careful analysis, make it a habit to become more analytical in your purchase decisions. On the contrary, if you believe your customers should buy from you based on the emotional appeal of your solution, allow your emotions to become a greater factor in your purchase decisions. Avoid sales frustration by aligning your purchase methodology with what you expect of your prospective customers.
Test
Look for context of the prospect’s problem
The context of the prospect’s problem provides important details about the nature and importance of the problem. Make sure you understand the context in which the problem occurs before you move on in discussing the solution. A prospect tells you they had a flat tire this morning. Say something more than “I’m sorry to hear that.” Find out the context of the flat tire in the prospect’s life. Where did the flat tire occur? Was it on a busy street? Did they get help fixing the tire? Was it a nail or a pothole? Did they call for help? Did help arrive on time? Did it make them late for a meeting? How did it impact their day? How did it impact their goals? Did it create further problems for them? Can you imagine the opportunities that can be created by having this additional information? Maybe you can recommend a better route for the prospect to drive. Maybe you know a car repair service that could have helped. Maybe you have a solution that can help them get back on track with their goals for the day or solve problems the flat tire created. Get the context of the problem and not just the problem itself.
Look for reasons to say goodbye to prospect
Put your time and effort into prospects who are actually interested in your solution. A prospect that is truly going to buy your product or service will look for reasons to engage you in conversation about what you have to offer. They won’t miss a deadline. They won’t forget to follow through on a commitment. They won’t continuously reschedule meetings. They won’t be too busy and then fail to follow up. If you sense you are getting the brush off, you probably are. Be pessimistic. However, take charge! Ask the prospect to clarify their interest in your solution. If they demonstrate an interest, become optimistic and work to close the deal. If they affirm their lack of interest, say goodbye. Move on to the next prospect, the prospect who loves what you have to offer.
Price is a conceptual thing, not an objective thing
Price is a conceptual thing, not an objective thing. We tend to think of price as something fixed and objective. No matter how much a prospect desparately must have what we offer, we are certain they will never buy it if it costs more than a standard price they are willing to pay. If your product or service is greater than an established price, you are too expensive. If it is less, your solution is affordable. Throw that thinking away! Price is not objective. It is conceptual. Price is directly related to the pain your product or service eliminates. If a magic wand that would heal a loved one of a terminal disease is available for purchase for $ 1 million, you would find a way to raise that amount of money to buy that wand. Similarly, if your product or service resolves a huge problem a prospect is burdened with, they would pay a king’s ransom for your solution! Price is directly proportional to the pain that the item being purchased solves. Discover your prospect’s inner pain. Find a solution that your products or services offers to end that prospect’s pain. Feel good about the expense of what you have to offer. It’s worth the price! It solves a huge problem for a client! Price is conceptual – believe your solution solves the deep pain of prospects and you will know it is priceless.
