Written for The Nova Scotia Business Journal
No Systematic Process
The person with the stronger plan wins. Buyers have an effective system to deal with salespeople. The buyer’s system is designed to get as much information as possible and to keep them in control of the situation. Buyers often mislead sales reps about their intentions, how much they’ll spend, who makes decisions, etc. The prospect’s system is designed to turn sales people into unpaid consultants, lead them on until they have all of the information they need, and often use their proposals to negotiate better deals with their current supplier or a competitor. Why do buyers do this? It's simple. It works.
So how do most sales people deal with the buyer's system? Most play right in to it. Many don't use a systematic approach to selling and find themselves 'winging it.' They allow the prospect to take total control of the sales process. They eagerly:
- Give their information
- Make commitments without getting any in return
- Waste resources on pursuing deals that will never close
- Make unneeded concessions
- Misinterpret the ubiquitous "I'll think it over and get back to you" as a future sale
- They lose to competitive salespeople who have a better system or greater skill
Too much time with prospects who will never buy
Sales reps need tools to separate tire-kickers from buyers and an approach to obtain executive sponsorship early in the sales cycle. Learn the fine art of tactfully qualifying your prospects out, not qualifying them in. The top rep learns to ask the hard questions up-front, to save precious resources for real opportunities. "NO" is an acceptable response from a buyer. "Going for the NO" requires a tremendous paradigm shift for most sales people, but it can take all the pressure off the rep and increase her/his productivity. The prospect is also a beneficiary, because it makes the process feel more like 'buying' than 'being sold.'
60% of a salesperson's time is spent in front of people who will not buy their product. Why is this true?
Sales reps won't ask the hard questions up-front for fear of making their prospects angry.
Most sales people think their job is to close everybody. Reps are taught to be persistent…handle stalls and objections...trial close...always be closing. Buyers realize sales reps don't want to hear "NO" and that when they do they'll "hang in there" and try to turn "NO" into "YES."
Salespeople don't get to decision-makers. Instead most salespeople spend time with 'comfort people' who are easier to get in front of, and to whom the salesperson is more comfortable talking.
The Solution?
Sales reps need tools to separate tire-kickers from buyers and an approach to obtain executive sponsorship early in the sales cycle. Learn the fine art of tactfully qualifying your prospects out, not qualifying them in. The top rep learns to ask the hard questions up-front, to save precious resources for real opportunities. "NO" is an acceptable response from a buyer. "Going for the NO" requires a tremendous paradigm shift for most sales people, but it can take all the pressure off the rep and increase her/his productivity. The prospect is also a beneficiary, because it makes the process feel more like 'buying' than 'being sold.'
©2010 Sandler Training Inc. (www.atlantic.sandler.com) is an international sales, customer service and management training/consulting firm. For a free copy of Why Salespeople Fail and What to Do about It, call Sandler Training at 902-468-0787 or e-mail salescareers@sandler.com
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