More Short Takes
Here are a few thoughts that need to get out there but don't lend themselves to an article of my usual length:
AGREE FIRST, THEN PERSUADE
Most sellers like to tackle objections head on. They go to a presentation and make their pitch and are itching for the first objection so they can jump on it, wrestle it to the ground and make it eat dirt.
"Yeah! Take that objection! Is that the best you got? You've got nothing!"
While this is tempting, it is generally not the best approach. The reason is because people become defensive when confronted. A defensive person is not a person who is open to the possibilities. A defensive person is not a person who wants to buy. A defensive person rises up to meet the confrontation and then looks for an exit.
A seller should always be looking for an opportunity to lower the prospect's defenses. When an objection is fired in your direction, try to find something about the objection that is reasonable and then ask questions that allow you to overcome the objection. In media, it might look like this:
Them: "I really don't like your radio station. The audience is far too young for my product."
You: "Many people look at my station's playlist and think that we are too young. Let me ask you a question: What is the age range of your typical customer?"
Them: "Typically, at least 25 years old."
You: "Would you be interested in seeing a demographic breakdown of my audience? You might be surprised at the number of people over the age of 25 that love hip-hop."
If you are a sales trainer you might have this conversation:
Them: "We don't need sales training. It's too expensive anyway."
You: "You know, if I had a dollar every time I heard that I wouldn't need to be a sales trainer! Let me ask you a question: Are your sellers having a hard time getting return phone calls or e-mails?"
Them: "Sometimes."
You: "Other companies tell me that they aren't making quota. Is your company experiencing similar results?"
A professional seller has heard all the objections or can anticipate all the new ones that prospects are dreaming up. They handle the objections with grace and humor - not with confrontation or snappy, canned answers that cause the prospect to withdraw.
SPREAD OUT YOUR "I Love You's"
I was reading a story the other day about a famous person who called his wife every single day (and sometimes twice a day) to tell her that he loved her.
While it might be nice to love your wife so much that you want to tell her about it every six hours, the message will begin to dull over time and become insignificant.
The same happens to a seller who makes a presentation and then follows up incessantly with nothing of value to add to the process.
Both the husband and the seller are expressing their lack of confidence in the relationship and the person of whom they aren't confident is themselves.
So, be confident that you are adding value to the relationship and spread out your "I love you's".
THE ANGRY REPLY
In the media business, there will be times when prospects offer to buy advertising from a media outlet with terms that are ridiculous.
While it is inappropriate to completely disregard these people, it is very appropriate to send something back that details the circumstances under which you will agree to do business.
This very thing happened the other day. A customer with whom we have done business in the past sent an e-mail saying that he would like to buy this and this and this and he needs us to perform that and that and that and the amount of money he was willing to invest was south of reasonable and maybe south of ridiculous.
We responded with an appreciative note and assured the customer that we, too, would like to do business. Our terms were very different than his and we outlined them and gave our reasons why our plan was the more correct version.
Back came a fiery e-mail with accusations that we had "gone crazy" and that the customer "was under no circumstances going to do" what we had proposed.
My seller was distraught but I only smiled.
When a prospect or customer cares enough to send you an e-mail letting you know that if it were up to him you would be committed, then you know the customer really, really, really wants to do business with you.
If the response is silence, then you know there will be no business unless you initiate the next contact and are ready to acquiesce.
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AGREE FIRST, THEN PERSUADE
Most sellers like to tackle objections head on. They go to a presentation and make their pitch and are itching for the first objection so they can jump on it, wrestle it to the ground and make it eat dirt.
"Yeah! Take that objection! Is that the best you got? You've got nothing!"
While this is tempting, it is generally not the best approach. The reason is because people become defensive when confronted. A defensive person is not a person who is open to the possibilities. A defensive person is not a person who wants to buy. A defensive person rises up to meet the confrontation and then looks for an exit.
A seller should always be looking for an opportunity to lower the prospect's defenses. When an objection is fired in your direction, try to find something about the objection that is reasonable and then ask questions that allow you to overcome the objection. In media, it might look like this:
Them: "I really don't like your radio station. The audience is far too young for my product."
You: "Many people look at my station's playlist and think that we are too young. Let me ask you a question: What is the age range of your typical customer?"
Them: "Typically, at least 25 years old."
You: "Would you be interested in seeing a demographic breakdown of my audience? You might be surprised at the number of people over the age of 25 that love hip-hop."
If you are a sales trainer you might have this conversation:
Them: "We don't need sales training. It's too expensive anyway."
You: "You know, if I had a dollar every time I heard that I wouldn't need to be a sales trainer! Let me ask you a question: Are your sellers having a hard time getting return phone calls or e-mails?"
Them: "Sometimes."
You: "Other companies tell me that they aren't making quota. Is your company experiencing similar results?"
A professional seller has heard all the objections or can anticipate all the new ones that prospects are dreaming up. They handle the objections with grace and humor - not with confrontation or snappy, canned answers that cause the prospect to withdraw.
SPREAD OUT YOUR "I Love You's"
I was reading a story the other day about a famous person who called his wife every single day (and sometimes twice a day) to tell her that he loved her.
While it might be nice to love your wife so much that you want to tell her about it every six hours, the message will begin to dull over time and become insignificant.
The same happens to a seller who makes a presentation and then follows up incessantly with nothing of value to add to the process.
Both the husband and the seller are expressing their lack of confidence in the relationship and the person of whom they aren't confident is themselves.
So, be confident that you are adding value to the relationship and spread out your "I love you's".
THE ANGRY REPLY
In the media business, there will be times when prospects offer to buy advertising from a media outlet with terms that are ridiculous.
While it is inappropriate to completely disregard these people, it is very appropriate to send something back that details the circumstances under which you will agree to do business.
This very thing happened the other day. A customer with whom we have done business in the past sent an e-mail saying that he would like to buy this and this and this and he needs us to perform that and that and that and the amount of money he was willing to invest was south of reasonable and maybe south of ridiculous.
We responded with an appreciative note and assured the customer that we, too, would like to do business. Our terms were very different than his and we outlined them and gave our reasons why our plan was the more correct version.
Back came a fiery e-mail with accusations that we had "gone crazy" and that the customer "was under no circumstances going to do" what we had proposed.
My seller was distraught but I only smiled.
When a prospect or customer cares enough to send you an e-mail letting you know that if it were up to him you would be committed, then you know the customer really, really, really wants to do business with you.
If the response is silence, then you know there will be no business unless you initiate the next contact and are ready to acquiesce.
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Great comments on neutralizing the objection and digging for more information. I've used this strategy a number of times and have always found it is a very graceful way to handle the objection and uncover additional info. Great post. Thanks, Mike Copeland
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I'll take issue with one aspect of "The Angry Reply." It's possible that the client's suggestion that you've gone crazy is a counter-volley in the negotiation. It's also possible that he believes, rightly or wrongly, that you're nuts, and is not going to do business with you.
This might not be a bad thing; sometimes you can't make a deal, and that's the way it goes. But the ideal scenario is one where, once the fiery rhetoric is over, you come to terms you both can live with.
To move the process along to a sale, you're going to need to get the client to counter-offer. I didn't see any indication in your post that a counter was forthcoming -- how did the conversation finally turn out?
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Thanks for the thoughtful comment! While I saw the angry reply as a positive sign that the customer still expected to do business, it is possible that he really did think we were either nuts or being overly difficult. Because we gave serious thought to our offer and the conditions under which we were willing to do business, I can live with it. As of right now, the client has not made another offer but based on his history, I am expecting one shortly. I'll be interested to see if he actually addresses our last communication (where we explained that we weren't really nuts but just wanted to do a reasonable deal) or just ignores it and continues to pound away.
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