By Sean McPheat
Ask many people what their viewpoint is of people in sales, and their answers aren’t always that flattering. The negative connotations often come to the fore, as they recount actual experiences they have undergone at the hands of pushy, manipulative, heavy-hitting, ego-driven hounders.
We know, of course, this is a misconception of reality, and the vast majority of salespeople recognise they need to support the key drivers of decision-makers before prospects will even consider making a choice. Resistance seems to be an inbuilt reflex action for most people who may know they want something for themselves or their business, but don’t want to feel pressured into it. They might hate being sold to, but many love to buy.
What can sales professionals do to at least lower the resistance barriers to making a choice? We may not have caused that resistance ourselves, but we certainly have to face up to it every day. We have to do everything we can to minimise indifference and negative pre-disposition to our sales approach. What can we do to help prospects welcome us rather than resist us?
Well, to start with, we can ask ourselves: ‘What are the beliefs we have about ourselves and our profession that may be accentuating the resistance buyers put up?’
This involves our mindset and how we approach the sales situation. It is made up of our feelings, beliefs, emotions and esteem that we bring to the table. If we consider our products to be the best possible solution for the prospect’s needs, we have a much better chance of coming across as helpful and supportive, rather than pushy and desperate.
Everything we say has to be seen as supportive of the buyer’s position. Nothing should be seen as us trying to ‘push’ the product. It should become obvious to the buyer that the solution you have will benefit them, without you having to extol the virtues.
Also ask: ‘What behaviour of salespeople may have previously affected the way this person views salespeople?’
If they show any resistance, it may be that they have been conditioned that way by previous experiences. The way past this is by showing them the complete opposite. If they have been manipulated by aggressive salespeople before, back off and talk about their business instead. Leave your products and services out of the equation until they are ready to talk about solutions. And even at that point, make it appear that it’s their results that you are interested in, not your product. Don’t sell your stuff…sell the outcomes they will get after they have used it for a while.
Ask: ‘What will my competition be saying to this buyer, and how can I be different?’
This will make you think deeply about how you come across to potential buyers. Will your competition be listing how their product does this and that? Then pay attention to how the buyer talks about products they have used before, Listen out for their language and how they utilised similar things. Be aware of how their tone changes if they feel they are being manipulated. Driving the sale in the way the customer wants it will highlight the differences between you and the competition.
Be aware that resistance is raised for many reasons. It could be past experiences, conditioning, programming from outside sources, or a general feeling about being put under pressure. By recognising resistance before it raises itself as an issue, you give yourself a great chance to highlight your solutions and lessen resistance so the client can see the real benefits of buying from you, and not someone else.
Author credit:
Managing Director of MTD Sales Training (www.mtdsalestraining.com), Sean McPheat is regarded as a thought leader on modern day selling. Sean has been featured on CNN, ITV, BBC, SKY, Forbes, Arena Magazine and has over 250 other media credits to his name.
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