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Top 10 excuses that make a
sales manager want to scream.
1. We lost another one to price
2. They are
getting other bids
3. They said they
needed to think about it
4. They couldn't
afford what we offered
5. This is a “next
year” project for them
6. I had a nice
visit, but I do not have a second appointment
7. The leads are
no good right now
8. Our prices are
too high
9. There is
another decision maker that I didn't know about
10. I left them 15
messages and they haven't called me back
We lost
another one to price
When the consumer shops on
price and price alone, we have to look deep inside our
current sales approach and ask ourselves, “How did we let
that happen?”
The word “value” is tossed
around the sales training industry like a Frisbee during a
family picnic. The common statement is, “You have to build
value!” What does that mean? How does one actually build
value?
Can value be built on the bells
and whistles of your product? Or is value really built on
the benefits and solutions you provide? Benefit Selling
connects the consumer to the direct solutions – the targeted
results that made them want to know more about your product
in the first place.
<<Learn more about Benefit
Selling<<
They are
getting other bids
When the consumer tells us that
they need to get other bids, only one thing is true. They
believe that their solutions can be met by more than one
company. Shame on you! Your company, your product, and
your solutions are different than anyone else’s. Your
Masterful Presentation must help them discover that fact.
If you frequently find yourself in a competitive bid
scenario, you are not communicating Exclusivity.
<<Learn more about
Exclusivity Selling<<
They said
they needed to think about it
This statement is one of the
most common objections that the consumer will offer. This
statement, however, is factually incomplete. The consumer
is really saying, “You, Mr. or Ms. Salesperson did not give
me, offer me, demonstrate to me, persuade me, convince me,
show me, help me, or guide me in a direction that solves my
need.”
Like a recording, you probably
recited every aspect of the “product.” This approach does
not identify the consumer’s Key Drivers. The
solutions that you offer your prospects must be identified
by first uncovering what is important to them. This process
is known as Key Driver Selling. Does your current
sales approach determine your prospects’ Key Drivers with
laser-guided accuracy?
<<Learn more about KEY DRIVER SELLING<<
They
couldn't afford what we offered
Dear Sales Manager, I am not
sure how to break this news to you, so I might as well just
say it. Your sales person was purchasing other things while
on company time. Your sales person just bought a line.
Actually, the prospect just sold them the “We can’t afford
it right now” line. But fear not, Sales Manager, I am sure
you only hear this line every once in a while. What’s that
you say? You hear this line often? If you had a toothache,
would you shop dentists based on price alone? Would you go
through the yellow pages and ask each dentist how much they
charged to solve your problem, and then decide if you could
“afford” to have your solution solved? When you are in
pain, you want the pain to stop, regardless of price.
When the consumer says, “We
can’t afford it right now,” what they are really saying is,
“Your product or service, and the features and functions you
offer do not connect with my needs. Because the features
and functions do not connect with my needs, I do not need to
spend my money on it right now. Maybe one day, when I have
extra money, I can afford to do so.”
Benefit Selling connects with a
consumer’s hot buttons. It is at the core of the decision
making process, and it satisfies the needs of the consumer
better than anyone else.
<<Learn more about BENEFIT
SELLING<<
This is a
“next year” project for them
If the emperor has no clothes
most sales people will want to show the emperor the entire
selection of suits in their inventory. The emperor might
like all the suits, but he might also want to wait a year.
This is the problem with the sales approach.
Before the emperor needs to see
new suits, he needs to be given a mirror to see how silly he
looks with no clothes on. Once the emperor identifies his
needs, and needs a solution to correct it, you will no
longer have to try and sell the emperor a new suit.
Instead, the emperor will want to buy all you have. And
that, my friends, is Masterful.
<<Learn more about
a MASTERFUL PRESENTATION<<
I had a nice
visit, but I do not have a second appointment
Well, I hope you enjoyed your
visit. Did you walk away with some tea and crumpets? I
sure hope so, because that’s about all you will get from
that experience. If your product or services requires more
than one meeting to secure the order, why not set the second
appointment as soon as you arrive? We must continue to be
actively engaged with the consumer in order to furnish them
with the solutions they need. You owe it to your prospect
to help them with their solutions. The least you could do
is communicate it with them. Set your second appointments
up front, and watch your closing average soar!
<<Contact Us<<
The leads
are no good right now
Any Sales Manager with
longevity has heard this line, and probably has grey hair to
prove it. Are there better lead sources? You bet there
are, and anyone who tells you differently has never worked
in the trenches of sales. The best lead source is a
referral. Does your current sales approach capture and
harvest referrals in a masterful way? If you want to make a
living, by all means, sell something. If you want to have a
lifetime of wealth, take great care of your client, and
harvest their network of friends. Remember, you solved
their problem, and they love you for it!
<<Contact Us<<
Our prices
are too high
If a sales person had their
way, everything would be free so that they can boast about a
100% closing average. If price is the mentality, even if
the product was free, they would still lose some to the
competition!
A free something that does not
fill my needs has no value to me. I have no desire to own
an orange tuxedo, regardless of price.
Does price = investment? Does
Investment = value? Does value = Benefit? Does Benefit =
solution? For the right solution that specifically targets
your prospect’s needs, the price is irrelevant.
<<Learn more about Benefit
Selling<<
There is
another decision maker that I didn't know about
All signs are pointing in the
right direction. You have your price sitting on the table,
your pen is in hand, and just as you are ready for your
prospect to sign the contract, they say, “Well, I need to
run this by someone else first.”
Now the price is on the table,
and you are unable to secure the order.
Next time, use a pre-close. A
pre-close flushes out all possible objections, other than
price. A pre-close is done prior to the numbers hitting the
table, and it is an essential step in a Masterful
Presentation.
To learn more about
pre-closing, please contact us for your free Feature and
Benefit analysis!
>>Contact Us<<
I left them
15 messages and they haven't called me back
Isn’t that rude? You have
spent all of your time and energy trying to sell them
something; you told them all about your wonderful product
and the great features and functions of what you sell, and
they don’t even have the politeness to call you back.
The primary reason someone
won’t return your calls is because they think you are trying
to sell them something. Here is the deal. The consumer
loves to buy, but they absolutely hate being sold something,
as they should. Your feature and function approach to sales
made them react in the following ways:
1. They were drowning in
product information.
2. They did not connect the
product to their personal needs and solution.
3. They did not feel any reason
or benefit to do business with you.
4. They are debating changing
their phone number now.
The solution to your problem
lies in correcting your sales process. To have a masterful
relationship with your prospect, persuade them to realize
their pain and supply them with a real time solution for
it. Then you will no longer have time to call anyone 15
times because you will be too busy receiving thank you calls
from everyone you do business with. Now your benefit sales
approach is rewarding, effective, and highly profitable.
<<Learn more about Benefit
Selling<< |
