Managing Sales Obstacles
Managing Sales Obstacles
An obstacle (anything that prevents the customer from engaging in the hiring/buying process), actually has little to do with “US.” Even though rejection feels personal it rarely is…most of the time it is something simple (a misunderstanding, a concern, or inability to decide) and if we follow a customer-oriented, consultative approach we can often help manage (and remove) the obstacle that is blocking the sales process.
The next time you’re faced with a sales obstacle try the following three step (TAC) process:
Time-out – Briefly pause, take a full breath and consider your options. Jumping in too quickly can make you seem defensive or desperate. Pausing makes you appear more professional, shows respect and gives the customer time to think.
Ask – Question and listen carefully to the prospective customer until you understand exactly what the concerns are. The answers to your questions will guide your response and show the customer that you are truly interested in helping them accomplish what they are trying to accomplish with your service or product.
Communicate understanding – Show a customer that they have been heard by communicating your understanding of the obstacle. Paraphrasing what the customer has said (without agreeing or disagreeing with it) is a good way to achieve this. For example, if someone says “You are too expensive…” you might communicate your understanding with a phrase like “Cost is always a factor in a decision like this, and…”
By taking the time to ask good questions and hear your prospective customer, you are gathering valuable information about the customer’s perspective which will help you decide how to respond. Perhaps even more importantly, you are also taking steps to deepen your relationship with this individual. The customer will know you care about them or their problem because you took the time to ask questions about it. This shared problem-solving approach can be a powerful tool for creating win-win situations as you look for ways to add value to their perception of your services or products.
Some additional benefits of managing obstacles through the TAC method include the following:
Less Confrontation – By helping the customer think clearly about their own objectives, you use natural conversation to eliminating the win-lose fear associated with customer-salesperson interactions.
Better Information = Better Results – People respond positively to being treated in a respectful, consultative manner. When you find yourself partnering with customers you are not only creating a great customer relationship, but a raving fan who will tell others about you.
Quick Problem Resolution – The TAC process helps you identify true obstacles more quickly and respond to them effectively. Plus, it allows the customer an opportunity to VENT, relax and very possibly resolve the problem by themselves.
If you need help winning the inner game of selling or achieving business, professional or personal goals, consider partnering with a Coach! We’re trained to help take clients to their greatness.
Managing Sales Obstacles - To learn more about this author, visit Mickey Parsons's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 |
Free Download - Sharpen Your Competitive Edge By Mickey Parsons |
Managing Sales Obstacles - If you’re like me and many of the business owners I coach, you’re very savvy about your particular service or product…you know the key features and benefits, you know the ROI, you have your elevator speech down pat, and even know how to succinctly describe that “perfect” client or customer. It’s when we come face to face with a client obstacle that our confidence wanes and our sales strategy breaks down.
An obstacle (anything that prevents the customer from engaging in the hiring/buying process), actually has little to do with “US.” Even though rejection feels personal it rarely is…most of the time it is something simple (a misunderstanding, a concern, or inability to decide) and if we follow a customer-oriented, consultative approach we can often help manage (and remove) the obstacle that is blocking the sales process.
The next time you’re faced with a sales obstacle try the following three step (TAC) process:
Time-out – Briefly pause, take a full breath and consider your options. Jumping in too quickly can make you seem defensive or desperate. Pausing makes you appear more professional, shows respect and gives the customer time to think.
Ask – Question and listen carefully to the prospective customer until you understand exactly what the concerns are. The answers to your questions will guide your response and show the customer that you are truly interested in helping them accomplish what they are trying to accomplish with your service or product.
Communicate understanding – Show a customer that they have been heard by communicating your understanding of the obstacle. Paraphrasing what the customer has said (without agreeing or disagreeing with it) is a good way to achieve this. For example, if someone says “You are too expensive…” you might communicate your understanding with a phrase like “Cost is always a factor in a decision like this, and…”
By taking the time to ask good questions and hear your prospective customer, you are gathering valuable information about the customer’s perspective which will help you decide how to respond. Perhaps even more importantly, you are also taking steps to deepen your relationship with this individual. The customer will know you care about them or their problem because you took the time to ask questions about it. This shared problem-solving approach can be a powerful tool for creating win-win situations as you look for ways to add value to their perception of your services or products.
Some additional benefits of managing obstacles through the TAC method include the following:
Less Confrontation – By helping the customer think clearly about their own objectives, you use natural conversation to eliminating the win-lose fear associated with customer-salesperson interactions.
Better Information = Better Results – People respond positively to being treated in a respectful, consultative manner. When you find yourself partnering with customers you are not only creating a great customer relationship, but a raving fan who will tell others about you.
Quick Problem Resolution – The TAC process helps you identify true obstacles more quickly and respond to them effectively. Plus, it allows the customer an opportunity to VENT, relax and very possibly resolve the problem by themselves.
If you need help winning the inner game of selling or achieving business, professional or personal goals, consider partnering with a Coach! We’re trained to help take clients to their greatness.
Managing Sales Obstacles - To learn more about this author, visit Mickey Parsons's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Mickey's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
|
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Improve Web Site Conversions Selling Shovels Networking To Get Results Host Beneficiary Pulse Check Assessment |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2009 | |
 |
Top 50 Franchising Blogs
Top 50 Franchising Blogs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||