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Let's face it, lots of
prospects see your sales call as an interruption from the important
things they want to (or feel they ought to) be doing. A salesperson is
often viewed as an intruder, a money-grabber, and sometimes even a
beggar. At best, many polite prospects tend to see themselves as being
nice to a fellow human, or actually doing you a favor. Unless you can
change that basic attitude and atmosphere, you're a dead duck before you
get started.
What that means to you is that before selling can begin, tension must be
greatly reduced or eliminated. Prospects must come to feel that you are
a trustworthy person, that you have something important to say to them,
and that they might ultimately benefit enough to justify the time they
invest in listening to you.
That's a big order, isn't it? But let's add one more dimension to make
it even bigger. You have to accomplish all that in a matter of minutes,
sometimes even in seconds.
Let's take a look at two very effective strategies used regularly by the
real pros in the sale profession.
1. First, You Have to Win The Inner
Game
Prospects can read you like a book. They can instantly sense your
confidence level, your attitude about selling and what you are selling,
your feelings toward them, and your personal comfort level at being with
them. It shows in your eyes, your gestures and movements, and even in
your tone of voice.
You simply can't consistently fake your way through the inner game of
selling and be a winner in the outer game. "But I can't change the
way I think and feel!" you protest. I've got good news for you! You
can change even your most basic attitudes and thoughts. It starts when
you begin replacing your negative, self-limiting thoughts with positive
thoughts and insights.
If you want to experience a real change in the ways prospects see you,
start feeding positive thoughts into your mind thoughts like these:
·Selling
is an honorable profession that is worthy of my best efforts.
·My purpose for being here is
to enable this person to discover what he or she wants most, and how to
get it.
·I am a value generator for
this person and all my clients. I concentrate on value and seek to
deliver it.
·The company I represent is a
solid firm that seeks to deliver greater value than it receives in
payment for its products and services.
·What I'm selling has a
greater value to people than the money they will pay for it. I will see
to it that they get what they pay for, and more.
·I am a capable and confident
salesperson.
·I will not rely upon high
pressure to make this sale, but will concentrate on making a high impact
upon this customer.
·When I finish this interview,
I will leave behind a happy customer who will feel good about me and my
company.
Not one of those is an artificial claim that you cannot back up with
facts. If you have a problem believing any of them, let me urge you to
work through them until you can honestly say them to yourself.
When you start seeing yourself in that light, you'll be happily
surprised at how much more warmly your prospects will receive you.
2. Creating Trust
The natural condition that exists at the beginning of any selling
situation is tension, even when your prospects are close friends or
relatives. We could talk for days about all the factors that cause such
tension, but you've probably experienced enough of it to know how real
it is.
The fact is that tension will exist until you take action to reduce or
eliminate it. So let's focus on what you can do about it. Here are three
techniques I've found to be very helpful:
First, eliminate any unnecessary tension inducers before you make the
sales call. That includes things like being neat in appearance and
dressed in a manner that will make your prospects feel you are one of
them.
"This is a free country," a novice salesperson once told me.
"I can dress as I please, wear my hair as I please, and drive any
kind of car I choose; and no one can stop me!"
"You're right!" I responded, "And that prospect can
exercise her freedom to say 'no'; and nobody can stop her either!"
All you need do is notice how you react to the way strangers look and
you will probably agree how important it is to make a good first
impression.
Second, look for tangible ways to help your clients relax. A quiet
manner, a mild sense of humor, and a warm smile can go a long way toward
breaking down barriers between you and your prospects.
Third, be a good guest. When you are in someone's home or workplace
you're on their turf, and you are bound by etiquette and common courtesy
to observe the "house rules."
For example, you might feel quite comfortable putting your feet on a
coffee table, but if you do that with some prospects, they will
immediately identify you as insensitive and start looking for ways to
get rid of you.
Smoking cigarettes is a real turn-off with many people these days, and a
cigar is virtually never acceptable. If you smoke, I would strongly
suggest you not light up unless your host does - and then only after
asking permission.
On the more positive side, one of the best ways to gain trust is to
graciously receive any hospitality your hosts offer. To many people,
offering a drink or snack is a way of saying, "Let's be
friends." To turn it down is like saying, "No! I'd rather be a
stranger."
Remember, tension is the natural state that exists in the selling
situation. It won't just go away on its own. You have to take positive
steps to create the kind of trust that eliminates or reduces the tension
before you can ever begin selling. |
