| What was the quickest rejection you ever got? 2 | | | | additional 25 I can drop the price to ___" and |
| minutes into your call? 1 minute? 15 seconds, 3 | | | | "You don't need another 25, do you?" Drop the |
| seconds? | | | | words "no" and "not" from your vocabulary. |
| Resistance comes in many forms in sales. Buyers | | | | There's no need to suggest a negative. |
| may resist from the beginning of the presentation | | | | 5. Listen. People will tell you everything and more |
| to the very end. And yet by using some simple | | | | if you let them. Listen actively and objectively. |
| steps we can reduce this resistance to increase | | | | Focus on what is being said as well as what is not |
| our sales performance. | | | | being said. If you're on the phone, don't multi-task. |
| Here's an analogy: many people exercise using | | | | Multi-tasking is the enemy of good listening. |
| resistance training. It's good for you. Encountering | | | | 6. Ask questions to discern needs. Use open |
| resistance during the sales process can also be | | | | ended questions to generate information. Open |
| good for you. It lets you work your sales | | | | ended questions start with words like who, what, |
| muscles, enabling you to become a stronger sales | | | | where, when, which, why, and how. Use closed |
| person. Too much resistance may not help you | | | | ended questions when you need to get "yes" or |
| achieve your goals, though. Plan for resistance in | | | | "no". Closed ended questions start with word such |
| advance and you can help eliminate or reduce it. | | | | as: is, are, can, may, have, and do. |
| Create a planned presentation that takes into | | | | 7. Listen some more. See #5 |
| account, step by step, all concerns and objectives | | | | 8. Propose solutions based on buyer needs. If |
| your prospects may have. Look at every point in | | | | you've listened, this should be easy. If it's not |
| the sales process. Examine them and look for | | | | easy, there may not be a good fit between your |
| ways to make it easy for a prospect to say | | | | product and your prospect. If you're looking for a |
| "yes" to you. Here, then, are 12 steps to | | | | long term relationship, sell only to needs. You'll |
| decrease resistance and increase sales: | | | | make more sales in the long run. |
| 1. Sound confident. Your voice gives you away. | | | | 9. Keep listening. Notice the pattern here. |
| Your voice is an emotional barometer. If you're | | | | Remember, the seller should always talk less than |
| not comfortable, your prospects will hear it in | | | | 50% of the conversation. |
| your voice. There's a hesitancy, a slight stutter or | | | | 10. Ask for agreement. How often have you |
| stumble when we're not confident. Your | | | | spoken with a salesperson who doesn't come to |
| confidence will give your prospects confidence to | | | | the point and ask for the order? Make sure that's |
| do business with you. | | | | not you. Don't forget to ask for agreement in |
| 2. Rehearse names beforehand. Nothing says I | | | | order to close the sale. When you ask for |
| don't know you faster than a fumbled name. | | | | agreement, the "yes" from the buyer closes your |
| 3. Do your homework. The number one complaint | | | | sale. A "no" says you've more work to do. |
| buyers have about sales people is that they don't | | | | 11. Follow up. You'll close as many sales on the 8th |
| know enough about the targeted buyer or even | | | | try as on the 1st. It's been said that the fortune |
| their own products. There are lots of ways to | | | | is in the follow up. |
| research. Check the company's website, look at | | | | 12. A positive attitude. If you think you can, you |
| their printed materials, and do a "Google" search. | | | | will. It's a simple tool but it works. |
| Finally, don't forget to ask questions during your | | | | If you think in terms of decreasing resistance, if |
| sales call. | | | | you build it right into your presentation, you'll find it |
| 4. Phase your words positively. There's a big | | | | easier to get "yes's". |
| difference between saying "If you order an | | | | |