Why do salespeople take a lot of shots? Why does the perception exist that we are substandard business people? Probably because we deserve it. Not you or me personally, but too many people in our occupation and too many managers still promote the old hard-closing and manipulative clichés of the past.
So how does a new contact determine which one we are?
It’s what we do from second one with a new prospect that counts. If you look, act and sound like a traditional salesperson, you’ll get treated like one.
Most prospects (including us when we are the buyer) have their defenses up, to some degree. They are concerned about making a good decision and initially they don’t know if you’re helping them or helping yourself. For the sale to reach the magic “trust” needed to do business, both parties must feel comfortable enough to trade information. Initially, most of that information must come from the prospect.
One option is to literally not hide anything. How about letting your prospect know and understand your selling process so there are no surprises? It must be full disclosure selling. You need to figuratively say, “Here’s my process. Are you okay with that?”
The salesperson who wants to dominate the sale with a barrage of features and benefits can overpower the prospect, who may feel they’re being pushed into making a purchase. You may be trying to push water uphill. In addition, you may not be telling the prospect what they need to hear. Firing with both barrels may tell the prospect a lot about how wonderful you, your company and your products are but if they are thinking, “so what” or “who cares,” the attempt to impress has the opposite effect.
Start with an up-front contract to establish what’s needed to do business. Start with the purpose of the meeting; it is simply to exchange information. At this point you don’t know if you can help the customer (the truth). Some dialog is needed so both parties can assess the other.
Next set the prospect’s agenda. Tell the potential client that typically, new prospects you work with want to know about X, Y and Z and ask if that’s important to them. Also ask what specifically they want to cover. It’s important to establish the prospect’s agenda before yours. It shows interest and respect. You may also learn something in the process.
The third element in the up-front contract is your agenda. Comment that you will naturally want to talk about their concerns, how long they’ve been an issue, how it affects their business and the impact it has. You’ll also want to inquire about what level of investment they’re comfortable with to fix the problem and who in the organization will be involved in the decision.
Simply ask permission at the beginning of the relationship to ask.
Time is the fourth part of the up-front contract. You must establish the specific amount of time for the meeting. It again shows respect but also allows you to structure the meeting so you get the most important information out. If a time period for the meeting isn’t set and you think you’ve got 45 minutes while the prospect was planning on 20, at 22 minutes the prospect stops listening and is wondering if you’ll ever shut up.
Finally, you need to discuss the outcome in this attempt to establish a trust situation with the up-front contract. The outcome simply is, at the end of the meeting the prospect will determine the next step. If you’ve established real need, a budget in round numbers and the decision-making process, the prospect should be willing to set a next meeting or make a decision to buy or to not buy.
Your job is not to sell. Your role is to help the prospect make a buying decision. Begin using Up-Front Contracts to dismantle the hard sell and the unflattering image of the traditional sales hustler.
