Doctor's Orders! Get Better Sales Results from Being Different

I've always liked the Whetstone Group newsletter - they give sales advice in the doctor-preferred format of problem, diagnosis, and prescription. It's fun - especially since it feels like some situations actually require a sales doctor! Here's their latest patient, and their prescription for a full recovery.

Problem: Kim, a ten-year sales veteran, never felt like she was in control of her sales calls. She felt like her prospects and customers were always one step ahead of her. She attended many training sessions and they all basically taught her the same thing: always ask for the order, use the same 2-3 foolproof ways to overcome the price objection, lead with, "If I could show you a way to fix that problem, would you buy my product?" She felt these tactics must be effective since all the trainers taught the same approaches. Why weren't they working for her?

Diagnosis: Salespeople tend to be rather predictable and, as a result, buyers generally are in charge. They recognize the salesperson's approaches and have developed effective ways to deal with those approaches. To illustrate this point, have you ever been doing something on "autopilot" such as driving a car? You get too close to the car in front and you apply the brakes. In a dangerous situation you honk the horn to warn another driver. Neither activity requires you to stop and think. You're definitely not saying to yourself, "What should I do here? Oh yeah, let's honk the horn, that's a good idea." By then it's too late anyway. You just do it. That's autopilot. That's how we react instinctively to a situation. Dealing with salespeople is a familiar situation to everyone and we all go on autopilot when we're face to face with a salesperson. In effect, salespeople build their own roadblocks by being so predictable.

Prescription: Don't act like the typical salesperson. Do the unexpected. Try different things to keep your prospect off autopilot. Here are a few examples:

--Let your prospect know, "It's okay to say "no" if we don't have a fit."
--Don't jump on every "buying signal" you hear and try to close. Instead, use a well-placed easy exit or takeaway to get the prospect to sell himself, "Really, I had no idea the impact was that significant."
--Do your best Colombo routine, "I'm kind of confused, can you help me understand why that's so important to the company?"

You get the idea. Be different. Your sales results will be different, too. They'll be better.

Whetstone Group is a sales process improvement company that focuses on helping companies implement a proven sales process that will increase sales, shorten the selling cycle, increase closing rates, and improve margins. Learn more at www.whetstonegroup.com