Ignore it and fail.
Be unaware of it and be constantly confused.
What is it?
It’s this;
We assume a customer is going to opt for one of two choices when we finish our pitch.
Option 1 – buy
Option 2 – don’t buy
But the killer is Option 3.
They do nothing.
That’s the one you have to crack.
I’m suspicious of some things, aren’t we all?
I’m especially suspicious of ‘experts’ who peddle sales through fear.
You know what I mean?
Like the guy in the Tyre Shop when you bring in your teeny puncture.
He scratches his head, puckers his lips and says “Ooooooo Dear, you sure have a problem here, all 4 tyres need replacing”
I’m suspicious too of lots of PR Peddlers.
They reel off facts, figures and promises.
“The coverage we got you in The Daily Moonbeam was worth an estimated €8.5 million”
I have heard it a hundred times.
Thing is, you got the coverage but did you get PR?
There’s a difference.
There’s coverage – means nothing.
There’s noise – means you irritate.
There’s PR – means you connect with your market
There’s your story – means you are in demand.
The PR person cannot promise number 4.
You don’t need them to.
Real stories fly all by themselves.
Choose carefully next time and know the difference.
I was in a big store this morning.
There was a queue ahead at the till.
The gentleman serving was warm, gracious, considerate and kind.
But, he had been forced through the standard training and they insisted on it.
He was dutiful and followed procedure.
It was unnatural, uncomfortable and unreal.
I heard him repeat the same clichés to everyone.
They lost their impact, they lost their value.
The worst one?
“That’s a lovely X and for only X euro”
Oh No, please don’t force good people to be robots.
Give them their head and let them fly.
It’s short, it’s simple and it’s too easy.
Sometimes we seem to have learnt nothing.
I was booking a hotel, or trying to.
Here’s the sequence of answers;
“I’m not allowed sell those dates yet”
Then,
“Could you call back tomorrow?”
Then,
“We don’t do reservations on a Sunday”
I decided to abandon my cause.
I gave lots of signs and warnings.
They fell on deaf ears.
In the end I said simply “I’ll go elsewhere”
She said “OK”
Is it really?
Have you checked?
Do you know?
I bet her Boss thinks she is an Angel.
Snipers take their time
Fools rush in.
I was in the City casually shopping last week.
I was struck by many things.
In hindsight (and no particular order) they were amusing.
Girl 1. I know all about her “carb free diet”
Man 1. He is close to getting lucky” with a colleague.
Girl 2. “Oh my Oh my, it’s such a dreary day”
Man 2. “Someday I’ll get out of here”
Then I analyzed the questions.
In brackets below are my imagined answers.
Salesman 1.
“Hello Sir, is there anything I can help you with?”
Me.
(“Yes, my mortgage, finding me a good holiday and improving my racing speed”)
Salesman 2.
“How are you doing today?”
Me.
(“Doing what?”)
Salesman 3.
“Are you okay?”
Me.
(“No, I’m depressed, down, out, despairing, depressed but I always shop when I feel this way”)
What have all these overused questions got in common?
Simple. They invite a closed response.
Now think on this;
“Good morning Sir, thank you for coming in. May I show you the new suits that arrived for Spring this morning?”
Spot the difference?
Salespeople need to have really good radars.
They must read, analyze and adjust.
Everyone is different.
So the approach needs to be different too.
Some customers like to talk.
Some like to listen.
Some to simply sound off.
Some want to learn.
Some to chastise.
Others to indulge themselves.
You may have the most fascinating product.
You may be about to bestow the biggest benefit But if the customer is indulging there’s not much point in talking.
If you want to score a direct hit with those who indulge here’s what to do.
Forget talking.
Ignore the irritating fact that you have to bite your tongue.
Instead, just listen.
What will happen?
They will think you are great.
You are selling.
You are pitching.
You are gliding along skillfully.
You get to the end of your patter.
The customer has listened.
He has even nodded in agreement.
He has been quiet.
He has been attentive.
Experience triggers your instincts.
You ask “Does that address all your needs and concerns?”
He says “It’s fine”
It’s not.
If your instincts make you ask that question you already know something is wrong.
What you do next is your choice.
Think carefully
In sales, there aren’t that many good listeners.
It’s why they don’t succeed.
In business, there aren’t that many good listeners either
It’s why they stay ‘average’
Too many people are really preparing what they are about to say
Rather than really listening to you.
Here’s a fun way to make the point with your team.
Try it.
When you finish talking to them about whatever it is you need to talk about ask them this;
“What was the last letter of the last word I just said?”
Get the point?
It’s tempting when you are trying to close a sale to agree with the customer.
It can also kill the sale.
It’s tempting to ‘look’ friendly but be exploitative.
It’s tempting to nod sincerely even though we know you don’t mean it.
Tempting but fatal.
Not so long ago I was about to buy a car.
I was almost there.
The salesman, an affable sort of chap, was doing his best.
He was almost there too.
I was considering one of those delicious but completely unnecessary extras.
It didn’t make sense and was disproportionately dear.
I asked my friend a simple question;
“How can you justify so much for that?”
Confident now, he was my ‘friend’
He wasn’t.
He said:
“I can’t. I agree with you, it’s a ridiculous price and a bit of a rip-off”
I said;
“Thank you but no thanks”
If you agree with me that your brand is flawed 2 things happen;
I won’t trust you.
And I won’t buy from you.
Instead, disagree, have an opinion, be real, be you.
Be human.
It’s tempting when you are trying to close a sale to agree with the customer.
It can also kill the sale.
It’s tempting to ‘look’ friendly but be exploitative.
It’s tempting to nod sincerely even though we know you don’t mean it.
Tempting but fatal.
Not so long ago I was about to buy a car.
I was almost there.
The salesman, an affable sort of chap, was doing his best.
He was almost there too.
I was considering one of those delicious but completely unnecessary extras.
It didn’t make sense and was disproportionately dear.
I asked my friend a simple question;
“How can you justify so much for that?”
Confident now, he was my ‘friend’
He wasn’t.
He said:
“I can’t. I agree with you, it’s a ridiculous price and a bit of a rip-off”
I said;
“Thank you but no thanks”
If you agree with me that your brand is flawed 2 things happen;
I won’t trust you.
And I won’t buy from you.
Instead, disagree, have an opinion, be real, be you.
Be human.
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