Risk & Business Magazine Gifford Associates Fall 2017 | Page 29

SALES INSIGHTS
“If you are going to get a “No,” wouldn’t you prefer
it sooner rather than later on a sales call?.”
A
sk questions, then listen!
It may be the best sales
advice ever, but it is so
much easier said than
done.
For generations, sales representatives
have been taught to find things in
common with their prospective
customers, get appointments, know
product features and benefits inside
and out, do presentations, handle
prospect objections during the
presentations, not forget to ask for the
order, and not take no for an answer.
Common complaints prospects have
about sales reps? “They don’t listen.”
“They talk too much.” “They are only
interested in making a sale and getting
paid.” Or perhaps most bothersome
of all: “Salespeople don’t care about
anyone but themselves.” No wonder
prospects are so wary of salespeople!
Here are five important points sales
reps should keep in mind when
working with their prospects (We call
them Sandler Rules!):
1. A PROSPECT WHO IS LISTENING
IS NO PROSPECT AT ALL
If, as a sales rep, you are doing most of
the talking, how are you supposed to
learn about what the prospect’s needs
are? Have a plan to let the prospect do
70 percent of the talking and then, at
the end of the sales call, estimate how
you did with your plan. Chances are,
if you kept to your plan, you know a
great deal about the prospect’s needs
and concerns. You have most likely
either found reasons to do business
or have discovered that the prospect
would not be a suitable customer.
Either outcome is a good one.
2. LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT
YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICE,
DON’T JUST TELL!
The more you know about your
products or services, the better the
quality of questions you can ask your
prospects. Take time in advance
to write down the problems your
product solves from the customers
that currently buy from you. Form
questions to determine if your
prospects have any of the same
problems as your customers, and if
they do, make note of all the reasons
you can find to do business. You can
select the strongest reasons later in
your presentation if you determine
that your prospects also have a
sufficient budget to fix their problems.
3. IF YOU FEEL IT, SAY IT—GENTLY!
If you are uncomfortable during a
sales call, there is a pretty good chance
the prospect is uncomfortable as well.
Surprise your prospects with honesty,
something they don’t always expect
from a salesperson. For example, if
a prospect is not genuinely engaged
during your appointment, why not
let him or her know that you feel
badly that you may have made the
prospect uncomfortable talking
about a particular subject and offer
to talk about a different issue. In my
experience, chances are pretty high
that the prospect will offer an apology
to you for making you uncomfortable
as well and may even provide insight
into why he or she was uncomfortable,
often getting the meeting past the
roadblocks.
4. SELLING IS NOT THE PLACE TO
GET YOUR NEEDS MET.
As a sales rep, you may have a lot to
win or lose depending on the outcome
of your sales calls. That’s too much
pressure to bring to a sales call and
put on a prospect. Remember that
sales is about meeting the needs of
the customer. Sales is a high-rejection
business. The brutal truth is that
prospects really don’t care about you
at all until they feel that you can take
care of their needs. You need to be
secure in your own skin, or you may
try too hard to make your prospects
like you and end up being just
another typical salesperson. In the
end, shouldn’t it be more important
that they buy from you rather than if
they like you? Keep the focus on the
prospect!
5. GO FOR THE NO!
If you are going to get a “No,” wouldn’t
you prefer it sooner rather than
later on a sales call? It will save both
you and your prospect time. Typical
salespeople try their best to pressure
their prospects into saying “Yes.” Do
the unexpected and keep a healthy
skepticism about whether or not the
prospect will really be a good fit or
not for you. Get and give permission
early in the meeting to say “No” if
either party feels that there may not
be a good fit. Also take away potential
prospect fears by telling them what
“Yes” means should they want to move
ahead. Make it as easy as possible
for your prospects to tell you “No” or
“Yes.” Either answer sure beats another
unclear “I’ll think about it,” wouldn’t
you agree?
Good Selling! +
Russ Mallard is an award winning trainer,
the president of Mallard & Associates Ltd.,
and is the authorized licensee for Sandler
Training. Sandler Training is a global
leader in sales and management training
and development. To contact the Sandler
Training Center nearest you, please visit
www.sandler.com
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