You're selling in a furniture store. A prospect comes through your front door. You say, "Good morning!"
"I'm just looking," she says abruptly as her eyes dart left and right. She quickly moves farther and farther away from you as your sincere hopes of engaging the shopper dim.
A bit later, she approaches you. "How can I get some help here?" she announces.
"I'll be happy to help," you respond, smile on face.
"All your sofas are too big. I can't believe you don't have any reasonably-sized sofas in your store. That's so frustrating."
"What would be the ideal sofa size for you?" you inquire.
"Smaller than what you have here at your store for sure," she barks. "Who would want such huge sofas? I can't believe it."
"Did you see the apartment-sized sofas on the second floor by any chance?" You're trying to help.
She apparently doesn't want your help. "I don't live in an apartment. I live in a house, and all the sofas in here are just too large. Can you recommend a store that would have some real sofas?"
You've just met a naysayer. These prospects are the individuals that seem to have their mind made up that you won't be able to help them, that the world is against them, and that you are incompetent. Nothing will work, nothing will help, and nothing will relieve their (imagined) pain.
How do you deal with these negative customers and still have a hope of moving the sales interaction forward to a closed sale? Here are seven strategies for dealing with the naysayer prospect:
1. Be unfailingly positive.
Don't let anger, disgust, or despair creep into your persona. Be positive. Smile genuinely. Be helpful. Sometimes even the most ardent naysayers can be softened by a caring salesperson.
2. Simplify.
Naysayers create negative momentum. They love to pile negative thought on top of negative thought. They make their situation needlessly complex because of all this layering. Counter this by simplifying instead. For instance: "Can we back up a moment? I know you're disappointed in our sofas, but I'd really like to understand what size of sofa you'd like. If I understood that piece, I just might be able to help you. Would you be willing to share that with me?"
3. Take notes
Naysayers get caught in a cycle of negative thinking and negative speaking. Sometimes they do this without even being aware of it. By taking notes, you're documenting your prospects' conversation. Sometimes the trickiest prospects will lighten up when they see you with a pen in hand writing down their key statements, such as "This store sucks because all your sofas are too big."
4. Let them talk
Naysayers sometimes need to get something off their chests. Let them do it. After sufficient opportunity to vent, naysayers can brighten their outlook. Some people do yoga to create a positive frame of mind. Others bitch at salespeople. Whatever works.
5. Know when to stop letting them talk
Yes, this is 180 degrees from #4. Naysayers' negative talk can energize some naysayers and make their naysaying condition worse so they transform from naysayers to extreme naysayers before your very eyes. Don't let it happen! Don't let the naysayer reach the point of no return. Take over before they implode!
6. Use closed questions
Closed questions are easier for people--especially children and naysayers--to answer. Closed questions can be answered with "yes" or "no," or with multiple choices. Sometimes "What size of sofa do you want?" is too complex a question for a naysayer customer. "Would an 84 inch sofa work for you?" might be your ticket to breaking down the naysayers nayness.
7.Disengage
As a last resort, disengage with your prospect. Saying something like "You know, I just don't think I'm going to be able to help you today - Thank you for coming in today" will shock some naysayers back into reasonable conversation. Some even apologize! Others will go on naying their way into oblivion.
* * * * *
Don't forget my "Engage More...Sell More" webinar today (June 17, 2009) at 1PM Eastern.
• Learn how to win your prospects over;• Hear what actual salespeople sound like when they are non-engaging in their behavior;
• Analyze your past sales behaviors to evaluate your engagement proficiency;
• Learn ten simple yet effective strategies to achieve richer customer engagement with your prospects and customers;
• Leverage your engagement skills to more and bigger sales.
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OPTION A: The
webinar is free with a VIP membership in Top Sales Experts (only $25 a
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OPTION B: Attend the webinar for $59.50 without a TSE membership. To register, go here.
Begin engaging your prospects more effectively starting next week. Take the "Engage More...Sell More" webinar. Register now!
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Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is mad about helping companies and individuals sell more.
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