Dear Colleague,
How many times have you heard "we like you the best" but you didn't get the business? If you hear this, you haven't found the prospects "pain." Dig deeper!
- Ron
"We Like You the Best, But..."
Problem: Recently I spoke to the manager of a large regional bank. He had been having a dialogue with his prospect for several months about changing banks. He presented several proposals for the business and they all had been rejected as "just not compelling enough." He was very proud of the fact that the prospect had said to him on many occasions that they "liked him the best." When I heard that I knew he was in trouble.
When I asked him what the prospect's pain was he replied, "They felt their bank had not supported them during a down period in their business." I asked what else there was and was told that was all he could find out. I wanted to know if the bank's lack of support impacted their business or the people he was talking to. This was an important piece to the puzzle, and it was missing.
Diagnosis: How many times have you heard "we like you the best" but you didn't get the business? There always seems to be a "but" that follows that nice compliment. "We like you the best, but it's a hassle to change banks." "We like you the best, but your deal just isn't quite good enough to get us to move our business." "We really like you guys, but can't you sweeten the deal a little?"
It's all BS. When a prospect says they like you the best, they're giving you compliments instead of business. It's their way of keeping you in the game so you will lower your price until they have you where they want you. Yet salespeople somehow are oblivious to this tactic, in spite of the fact that they hear it so frequently. They don't want to lose that warm, fuzzy feeling that the prospect is giving them. Are we all so hungry for praise that we'll accept these compliments without wondering how we can be the favorite, but not be given the business?
The Novation Selling Solution: When you hear "we like you the best" you'd better be thinking, "Oh no. I'm in trouble," because you are. Bad news is just a couple of words away. You have failed to address the prospect's critical business adequately - you have done a poor job in the pain step. When you keep getting beat up on price this is a clear signal that you haven't qualified well. The prospect doesn't see the value you bring and the focus stays on price. It's that simple.
You must get past the surface pain. The mere fact that their bank didn't support them during a tough period is NOT enough pain. Dig down. "Tell me more about that." "What kind of problems did that cause for you?" "What else is there?" "What else should I know about how that impacted your company and you on a personal basis?" "Is it a serious enough issue to consider going through the hassle of changing banks?"
If you're not drilling down and getting this type of information, you won't get the business.
Good Selling!
Ron Silver
For more information, check out our website at http://www.NovationSelling.com/ or call us at 910.795.0664.
See how others achieved More Sales through Ron's workshops.
Refer a friend to Novation Sales Training's Tuesday Morning Sales Coach.
Follow us on Twitter.
Become a fan of Novation Selling on Facebook.
- If you want to establish an effective sales process that will help you outsell your competition and dominate your market...we can help.
- If you'd like your salespeople to close more business...on your terms...we can show them how.
- If you're looking for ways to sell relationships instead of products and services...this is what we teach.
- If you're looking for a fresh approach to training your salespeople...Please call us.
© Copyright Sales Coach 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment