The difference between a good salesperson and a bad one is a simple trick – listening. When you listen, you hear all your prospect’s needs, wants and concerns. When I was a young saleswoman, I was told that objections aren’t “no”, they are concerns. Your introduction is the most important aspect of the sale, you’ve usually just met your prospect, and trust needs to be earned and built.
An immediate objection shows your prospect is concerned, and this is actually a good thing. Objections mean they could be interested and are at least thinking about it enough to think through concerns, but they have hesitations about moving forward. It’s your job to respond to and answer that concern in a way that builds trust, and then give them a moment to ask more questions. If they give you another objection, they’re still interested. They haven’t said they don’t want it; they are still asking you questions. Stop giving up when faced with objections. Instead, learn to answer them by seeing them as concerns.
Salespeople have to listen. It’s the number one most important aspect of sales. If you aren’t listening, then you will never close deals and will go broke, or you will find yourself in another occupation for which you’re better suited. There are numerous books on how to sell. I find that they all claim to give some amazing insight into being a better salesperson. Most books will bring up listening, but not the active listening I’m advocating.
You aren’t just listening because you have a plan to use their words against them, or listening because you are getting ready to answer what they said; you are listening because you actually care. If you don’t really care and just want to finish up with this customer to get to the next one, then you need to change your mindset.
“Running through customers to get to the next one will get you some sales, but it’s important to recognize that it will run you ragged, and you will burn out with that level of hard work. Work smart, not hard. “
Sarah, Financing Sarah
You are on the phone with a new prospect, and you make your introduction:
(A)
Hi_____________(insert prospect name)! I hope you are having a great day so far! I’m Sarah calling with ________ company. I’m just giving you a quick call to find out if you would be a good fit for a new product we are launching for construction companies. Do you have a few minutes to tell me how your team looks for new clients?
(B)
If they say no, then respect their time and ask what day or time of day would be better, morning, or afternoon. Ask for their email address, and then send them an email confirming their appointment – remind them that this time is for them to tell you about how they do things in their business today. Tell them this is a no-commitment fact finding call.
If they say they don’t need anything, then tell them you understand they don’t need anything that’s already on the market, but you have a ___________ that would increase productivity, or whatever buzz word your team uses to sell your product. Then return again to ask if they have a few minutes today, then they will either say ok, or no I don’t have time today. Then go back to (B).
Back to (A)
If they agree to talk when you first introduce yourself, let them talk, listen and take notes if you can about how they do things today. Don’t interrupt, and when they are finished talking say “That’s great,” or give them some words that you genuinely feel are complimentary of what they are doing well. Don’t give fake compliments on what they are doing if you think that it’s not good; only focus on the positives. You have to be real, don’t fake it.
Now that you have praised them for what’s being done well, give them a little critique on how it could be done better. Keep your constructive criticism under 1 minute, and then ask if it’s something they would be able to do given the right product or service. Now listen again – they might say “no” and give an excuse or a reason why they can’t try that method, or they might say “yes, that sounds good”, it doesn’t really matter. You are just keeping them talking with you and proving your expertise and value to their industry and company.
Now is time to ask them more about the types of challenges they are having. The reason you have waited this long is because you have developed a lot of trust during the prior conversation, and they have more likelihood to reply with details about their challenges. Listen, take notes and let them talk and talk. Get as much information as you can during this conversation by listening and using “I’m listening” words like yeah, I hear you, and I understand, to show you’re listening. It’s weird to be talking and not know if someone is on the other end, so be sure to add enough feedback to show you’re still there and listening.
If they don’t want to divulge their challenges, then let them know you’re sorry they don’t feel comfortable telling you, and that you believe your product will help them overcome those, but you need more details in order to understand from their perspective exactly what they are faced with. You can ensure them that it will help you show them how the product will support them best and for you to customize the demo you’re going to schedule for them. Be bold, be honest, and just tell it like it is – don’t skirt around the issue and don’t be scared. Customers like people who are easy to talk to, and one of the best things about this is that you can create trust with your honesty, and then they will feel comfortable disclosing their current issues.
Once again, let them talk, listen, and take notes – very detailed notes. If they give you one answer about a concern or an issue they have with their current system, then stop them and ask for more details. Once you have a full understanding of how they do things and what the problems are, then schedule the demo or meeting when you can review your product and its solutions for them in detail. Don’t do this on the first call, just ask for the appointment. The second or third call should be dedicated to the demo or sales presentation. Never tell them about your product until you know their current system of doing things and the challenges that are part of their current system.
Some Examples of Objections and How to Answer Them:
“I don’t need anything.”
A: I understand you don’t need anything at this time, I hope that we can get to know each other well enough to discuss what you have in place today. I’ve found that I’ve been able to help other clients in your industry and position with small things that they didn’t think of in our first call.
“I’m happy with what we have.”
A: “That’s great, I’m glad you’re happy with what you have. If you have a few minutes I would love to know what you are happy with, it would be a great help for me to know what you love about it.”
“I don’t have time.”
A: “I apologize for interrupting you when you’re busy; what day and time would be better for a twenty-minute call this week?”
“I need to talk to my boss,”
A: This will usually be the decision-maker and I suggest getting to that person as quickly as possible. At this point you will answer, “Of course I understand, please check with your boss to find out the best day and time for us to have a call between the three of us. While we are at it, is there anyone else who should be on the call?”
“I don’t like your company”
A: “I’m very sorry you have had a bad experience with my company. How long ago was it?”
Do not ask what happened yet, don’t remind them of it until you have a better idea of when it was.
If they say 1 or more years ago, then go into detail about what improvements have been made and how you can help make sure their next experience is smoother than their last.
If the experience was recent, then apologize and ask them if there is anything you can do to win them back. You don’t want to waste too much time if there isn’t yet. This customer can be a come-back to later prospect that might take some trust building to win-back.
It’s very important to be patient with your prospect. They don’t know you, and they haven’t formed a positive opinion of you yet. For this reason, they don’t know if they want to do business with you, so you need to give them a chance to get to know you. Be indifferent to if they buy, or just talk to you, be relaxed with positive, happy energy, and listen well. People like people who let them talk, people who let them feel they are in the lead and in control, and people who don’t make them feel as if they are being controlled or manipulated; be the kind of person people like, or that phone will hang up on you.
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