Easy Exits

Today's post comes from The Whetstone Group, and shares with you how giving your client an easy exit may help you get the sale.

Problem: Salespeople are so predictable! They use the “pull” approach, constantly trying to convince and persuade their prospects to buy from them. Of course, their prospects are on to these tactics and are doing their best to “push” the salesperson away. Often, even good prospects feel trapped and push the salesperson away because they don’t want to be sold.

Analysis: Clearly a better approach is needed. Why not try the push approach when selling, from time to time? Giving the prospect an easy exit, pushing them away, can have magical results when you have a good prospect.

Prescription: An “easy exit” is an opportunity for you to make the prospect feel comfortable by bringing up situations that may still be a source of concern and let the prospect deal with them. In effect, you’re providing them with an “easy exit.” You’ll find that one of two things will happen: they’ll convince you that your concern is unwarranted and that it’s really not an issue (proving to you that they really are a good prospect) or they’ll admit that your concern is valid. This gives you a chance to probe for more pain or to take it to “no,” thus arriving at the right conclusion for both parties without wasting everyone’s time. In either case, rapport is maintained, even strengthened, and you’re doing the disqualifying, not them. Here are a few Examples:

During your initial meeting say, “If we don’t have a fit, it’s okay to tell me.”

or

“We may take some time together today looking at your situation only to find that we’re not the right solution for you. If we’re not, you need to be comfortable telling me that. Okay?”

When the prospect begins to discuss his challenges say, “That problem doesn’t sound like it’s causing you that much trouble. Are you sure it’s really that important to fix?”

or

“It doesn’t appear that this issue is a major priority at the moment. Am I reading the situation correctly or have I missed something?”

During your budget discussion try, “I get the feeling that this is much more than you had planned to invest. Do we need to talk further about that?”

You need to keep your "antenna" up at all times to assess what the prospects are implying when they make a statement. Often a prospect will not tell you the whole truth regarding a problem, but will send out bits of (mis)information instead. It’s your job to relieve pressure and help uncover what the prospect is really saying (see the above examples). Your role is to gently minimize the prospect's assertions of pain and their commitment to do something to fix it, thus getting them to defend their position and prove to you that they are a good prospect with real pain and a real commitment to finding a solution. Any time you give them a chance to run away from doing business with you and they don’t take that chance, they’re sending a message that they want to do business.

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