Every salesperson hates to hear those words. But we're told we have to learn how to handle this type of rejection because it's part of sales.
And I agree that salespeople must learn to handle rejection. But if the rejection can be avoided, we can avoid having to handle it.
Here's a scenario for your consideration:
Let's say you sell landscaping design and services. You meet with your prospect and do a needs assessment, measure the property, and schedule a second meeting. A week later, You schedule a second meeting with your prospect for a week later, at which time you plan to present your proposal and make the sale.
But while you're away from your prospect for a week, there have been several key events:
1. Your prospect found out he's being sued by a business partner;
2. Your prospect has been looking into purchasing the property next door;
3. Your prospect received a proposal from one of your competitors, who has successfully convinced the prospect to change the prospect's previous stand against adding a hardscape in the northwest corner of the property.
The day for your second meeting arrives. You sit down with your prospect, present your proposal, and ask the prospect to sign your contract. But after you present your proposal, your prospect tells you she's decided to do business with your competitor instead of you.
What went wrong?
You started the second meeting as if the week between the two meetings didn't exist. You picked up where the first meeting ended, but that doesn't recognize that many changes could have (and in fact did) occur in the intervening week.
So what is the lesson to be learned here?
LESSON: Whenever your sales interaction with your prospect is divided into two or more separate events, at the beginning of the latter event, always ask your prospect if anything has changed since you last talked. Do this before you present a proposal.
Here's a great all-purpose question you can use to see if anything has changed since your last meeting:
"We last met three weeks ago to discuss your [widget]. Has anything changed since we last met?"
Or, you could go into even more detail by asking multiple questions, such as these:
> "Last time we met, we discussed the landscaping along the eastern border of your property, right around the old maple tree. You decided to plant ____________ and _____________ in this area, and we were going to place a casual gathering area under the tree. Has anything changed in your thinking about this area?"
> "We also discussed your love of lilacs, and your desire to include lilacs somewhere in your plan. What have you been thinking about lilacs lately?"
> "You wanted to keep the northwest corner of your property open for possible prairie plantings. Is that still your plan?"
> "Has anything else changed about your project or your ideas since we last spoke?"
By doing a thorough review of key issues before presenting a design or pricing, you can prevent confusion, prevent failed attempts at creating sales momentum, and keep you from frustration caused by barking up the wrong tree.
If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.
Contact Skip | Join Mailing List
Follow on Twitter | Connect on Facebook | Connect on LinkedIn
Recent Comments