Do you dread having to close sales? Does the thought of having to overcome objections at the end of the sales presentation leave you anxious and doubtful? What if you didn’t have to deal with all that? What if at the end of the presentation, your prospective customer gave you a big smile and said “sign me up”? That can be your reality if you will do this one thing. Build value!
The truth is most experienced professional salespeople don’t deal with the objections so often encountered by those with less skill. Just try asking a top salesperson how they deal with common objections and you will get a blank stare. Why don’t they get those objections? Because they are pros who know their craft.
I always start with the end in mind. I picture my prospective customer smiling at me when I begin to explain the financial commitment and saying “It doesn’t matter what it costs, just go ahead and sign me up. I can’t imagine living another day without this solution.”
Honestly, that doesn’t happen all the time, but it can happen much more than you think. Here are a couple of key ideas to help you move to this reality.
First, you must build rapport with your prospect initially. Too many salespeople push through this part of the process too quickly. The first few minutes of the interaction should be you getting to know a little bit about the prospect. Call it a warm-up. You are not looking to talk about your product, you are looking to talk about the prospect. Your goal is to build trust. The fastest way to build trust is to be likable. Likable people are people who show a sincere interest in the other person. Without trust, your prospect will not feel comfortable being transparent with you about their needs.
Second, selling is not telling, it’s asking. You must ask powerful questions designed to identify the customers most pressing needs. People do things for one of 2 reasons; to gain a benefit or to avoid a loss. Find out what problem they have that needs solving, what pain they have that needs relieving, or what opportunity they have that they want to take advantage of. It doesn’t matter what you are selling, solutions are found in one of these 3 categories. There is a reason they allowed you to have a few minutes of their time. Find out what it is.
Finally, never bring up a feature about your product that isn’t directly related to a benefit that is meaningful to your prospect. Don’t sell your product, sell the benefits of your product. Too many salespeople try to talk people into their product. Don’t make that mistake. People want solutions not products.
Next time you find yourself unable to close a sale, do this quick exercise. Write down a list of the specific problems the customer identified that needed solving. Then, for each problem, write down how your product would solve it for the customer. There’s a good chance as you do this exercise that you will become more aware of your selling methods and where you can improve.
There’s an old saying attributed to someone wise that “the question is mightier than the sword.” Get to know your prospect and find out what they need. Then, show them how you can provide a solution. You will close more sales with less resistance when you do this.