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No Way!...or, No as a Way
Years ago I was presented with a coffee mug that read "Salesmanship begins when the Customer says NO." When you hear a customer say no, it can be the end of the road or the beginning of an opportunity to understand his objections and priorities.
The first step is to assume that NO translates: we aren't there, yet. Ask a question about his objection.You must understand what is in the way and eliminate it. If his response does not clarify, try restating the objection to get a better perspective. Once you understand why he is saying no, diagnose the problem. Objections can be categorized into three action points: Authority, Business or Differentiation.
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Authority ... Is the prospect telling you that he can't make that decision? If so, you do not have the decision maker and you have some more account probing to do.
Business ... Is the objection focused on the price, delivery, terms? He must be made to understand potential ROI, your support system (stocking product and terms) and company support (engineering support and availability).
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Differentiation ... have you clearly established the advantages of your product over their current product? In our case, it is Cost of Heating that will win the day: if you have helped him to understand that life, performance, elimination of problems will cut his overall costs, the sale should proceed. |
Did your prospect say No Way, or did you hear, No as a Way? ... a way to assess his objection, understand it and move to an agreement.
Friday Funnies
Father O’Malley rose from his bed. It was a fine spring day in his New Texas mission parish. He walked to the window of his bedroom to get a deep breath of the beautiful day outside. He then noticed there was a jackass lying dead in the middle of his front lawn. He promptly
called the local police station.
The conversation went like this:
"Good morning. This is Sergeant Jones. How might I help you?"
"And the best of the day te yerself. This is Father O’Malley at St.Brigid’s. There’s a jackass lying dead in me front lawn. Would ye be so kind as to send a couple o’ yer lads to take care of the matter?”
Sergeant Jones, considering himself to be quite a wit, replied with a smirk, "Well now father, it was always my impression that you people took care of last rites!"
There was dead silence on the line for a long moment. Father O’Malley then replied: "Aye, tis certainly true, but we are also obliged to notify the next of kin." |
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