So, you have found the perfect prospects and have managed to arrange an appointment to ‘pitch your product or service to them.
Great! You’re nearly there. Or, are you?
The truth is, many people fall at the last hurdle of the selling process. Finding potential clients is one thing, but closing the sale or ‘doing the deal’ is often the hardest part.
No matter how good your product or service is, if you don’t portray YOURSELF the right way, or address their needs in the right way, there’s a good chance your prospect will ‘clam up’ and your chances of closing a sale will be slim.
So, What Can Be Done About it?
In this blog post I am going to share with you some common mistakes that a “rookie” salesman can make. Let’s get to it!
- Let your prospect TALK. The worst thing you can do is go into your meeting and bombard them with ‘sales talk’, trying to push your product or service onto them. It’s important that you get them to engage with you, by asking them questions. You need to open up a line of communication with them and NOT do all the talking yourself. It’s unlikely that you would be answering any of their OBJECTIONS if you’re not giving them the opportunity to speak. Build rapport with them, let them talk, and then identify any objections so that you can work towards doing business with them.
- Don’t be fake. Your prospect will see through ‘fluff talk’ and think you’re just trying to grease them up for the sale. Be sincere, be open, be truthful, and just be YOURSELF. I’ve lost count of how many times over the years I have experienced a sales person being over friendly, and talking about pointless stories – It just comes across as forced and leaves you waiting for the pitch (with your defenses up, ready!). Don’t be that person.
- Don’t focus on YOUR company. Focus on theirs. When meeting with a client their time is precious and you only have a short window of opportunity to do business with them. They really aren’t interested in all the details of YOUR business. Instead, spend the time you have finding out more about their business, and the problems they might face. Then you’ll be better equipped to answer questions, and position your product or service to be the ‘perfect’ solution for them. It also shows that you’re really showing an interest in their business, and wanting to help them, rather than just pimping for a quick sale.
- Take Risks. If you feel like your prospect isn’t on the same page as you, or might not be understanding how your product or service can help them – ASK THEM, and don’t be afraid to do so. Say something like “I sense that you might not be fully understanding how this might help you, is that right?”. Just keep paying attention to how they’re responding to you, and if you feel like you’re losing them along the way, stop and ask them if there is something they’re not understanding.
- Identify ALL of their objections. Before any prospect will agree to a deal, they will always need all of their objections ‘quashing’. It’s down to you to identify these objections. Salesmen are aware of the dreaded “I’ll think about it” response from a potential client. When they respond in this way, it isn’t because they want to think about it – It’s because they have objections that haven’t been dealt with, and it’s preventing them from doing a deal with you. Identify their objections, deal with those objections, and then get the deal done.
I’d LOVE to hear your OWN tips or advice regarding the best way to deal with prospects, and ‘closing deals’ with them. Feel free to comment below and share your expertise and advice with us.
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