I'll Know It When I See It and Top 100 Sales Blogs

Here's the scenario: You're working in sales at a furniture store, and you greet a couple who has entered your store. You quickly find out they are looking for a sofa, so you begin to ask probing questions about their need so you can be helpful. Then the prospects say this:

"We'll know it when we see it."

I know people who sell cars, homes, clothing, jewelry, and many other products also here this distancing statement. Having spent many years working in a range of business-to-consumer selling roles (yes, even selling furniture for quite some time), I would cringe when I would hear a prospect say something like, "We'll know it when we see it!"

Why would I cringe? Because I would feel like I had been marginalized. Prospects saying this succeeded at keeping their distance from me. They had effectively prevented me from doing my job. Although "I'll know it when I see it" limited me early in my sales career, I eventually figured out why prospects would say this. And here's the reason:

Lack of prospect engagement. 

When a sales professional doesn't succeed at creating an engaging relationship with a prospect,  the prospect can see the salesperson as a foe rather than trusted advisor. Engaging the prospect draws them in, makes them feel comfortable, and encourages them to enter into conversation with their salesperson.

When prospects are engaged, they are actively involved in the buying (and selling!) process. They speak, they share, they challenge, they ask, they joke, they relax, they relate, they laugh, and on the list goes. In my sales training, I talk a lot about how better engagement of the customer cures many sales ills, but one of my favorites is putting an end to hearing prospects say "I'll know it when I see it."

Engage more if you want to sell more.

* * * * *

News flash: The Selling to Consumers blog was recently named to a list of the Top 100 Sales Blogs. See the list the here.

 

If you like this post (or don't!), please consider leaving a comment. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter to read more sales tips and commentary about selling and sales.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip works with companies and individuals to unlock the buying potential of every prospect through improved selling.