Sales Blog with Sales Tips

“Happy, slappy salespeople.” Sadly, that’s how some sales professionals act much of the time.

“But isn’t it our job to focus on the positives and always have a ‘can do’ attitude?”

Yes, but not all of the time. There are times when bringing up uncomfortable subjects – before the customer does – can help us.

You Raise The Objection First
All sales professionals know that bringing up an objection before the customer does is the most effective way of handling it.

But we’re scared. We don’t like talking about objections before they’re raised. It feels negative.

Even One Objection
It might not be pleasant to talk about customers’ unstated objections, but when customers have objections that are unspoken and unanswered, they don’t buy from us. Since not all objections are verbalized by customers, it’s our job to discover the unsaid ones.

Even though we may have discovered and answered seven of a customer’s eight objections, we’ll still lose the sale if the eighth isn’t dealt with. One unanswered objection will kill a deal.

An Example
The economy. If you’re selling products and services that represent a significant expense, it would not be uncommon for a customer to have concerns about buying in a challenging economic climate.

The customer already knows the economy is struggling. He has asked himself whether it’s a smart time to buy. The economy is an issue the customer is fully aware of; raising the subject will not be a revelation.

Hitting the issue head-on will at least give you an opportunity to address the objection if the customer is concerned. Silence won’t make his worries go away.

There Are Other Fish In the Sea
If a customer perceives there is a real and immoveable roadblock to buying, then we need to know and move on to another opportunity where our chances of transacting business look more promising.

Tackling customers’ unstated objections might feel negative, or even counterintuitive, but it provides a chance to deal with their reluctance and make the sale – or move on to greener pastures.

©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

Find a New Sales Job

Take this little Marketing 101 test:

1. Who is the largest provider of hamburgers in the world? McDonald’s, of course.

2. True/False. McDonald’s makes the best hamburgers in the world. A big “false” on that one.

3. True/False. We consume gazillions of McDonald’s hamburgers because they are good for us; they are what our bodies need. Not surprisingly, false.

McDonald’s provides all the ammo I need to demonstrate two important marketing principles that impact our selling every minute.

Hamburger Marketing Principle #1
Your products don’t have to be the best in order for you to be successful.

However, you do need to be predictable, available, known and cordial. McDonald’s has most assuredly perfected those four ingredients.

Personally, I avoid McDonald’s products like Ryan Seacrest avoids big and tall men’s shops. If I want a hamburger, I go somewhere else. However, I have been busted eating their fries and drinking their coffee on occasion. “Yes ma’am, a large fry with coffee and cream.”

In spite of the limited quality of their products, McDonald’s owns the hamburger market. Period.

I’ve heard salespeople whine about their competitors’ superior products ever since I sold my first widget. I did some whining myself. McDonald’s clearly shows us that having the best product isn’t necessary to dominate a market.

Hamburger Marketing Principle #2
Customers buy what they want, not what they need.

McDonald’s produces nasty, fat ridden, high calorie and not-so-great-tasting “food.” For the most part, people aren’t buying their products for the health benefits.

I hear their fries and coffee are safe and healthy though…

If we ate the food our bodies need, we’d eat nothing but granola, tofu, bean sprouts and tree bark. But that’s not what we want. We want McDonald’s. And we probably want it for all the wrong reasons, but we don’t care.

Our customers are no different; they buy what they want. Don’t presume you always know their needs. Ask a lot of questions and discover their wants. It doesn’t have to make sense to you.

Gotta run. Time for my afternoon fries and coffee.

©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

All sales professionals sound the same. I’m serious. We seem to all pull our conversations from the same verbal bag.

No wonder prospects (and even our established customers) don’t want to talk to us. Even a good song played too many times will eventually become unappetizing.

But how do sales professionals get in this habit?

First, A Story About A Child And A War Hero
I was in a department store recently and saw a man whose legs were both missing. I did what every adult would do and took my one allowed stare and then looked away.

A child whom I would guess was about 5 years old took another tack. She walked right up to the man and said, “What happened to your legs?” The man in the wheelchair very calmly and proudly answered her question, explaining he had lost them in a war fought in Iraq. She nodded her head indicating she understood and walked away.

A non-event for both parties. The child’s mother did not interfere. The wisdom of a mother.

What Just Happened?
There was a desire for information from the little girl and she engaged the man. Simple enough.

Unlike the little girl, we frequently struggle to converse honestly and openly with prospects and customers. We resort to scripted and safe conversations that have worked for us in the past. Over time, we start to sound like every other salesperson on the planet.

We’re at best putting our customers to sleep or, even worse, annoying them with our “salesy” dribble.

How Did We Get Into This Habit?

• Boredom
• Laziness
• Fear
• Bad training
• Reliance on scripts or canned responses/questions
• “It’s working okay.”
• “It’s what I’ve always done.”

Start Thinking Like A Child
Inject a childlike freshness and fearlessness into your communications with your customers. Start talking to your customers at a core level.

Your new openness will enhance the quality of your customer relationships. They will view you as more real and straightforward.

You’ll stand out from the crowd.

©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer