Selling Tips - Dealing With Difficult Prospects By: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Chief Executive of J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group™
A couple years ago during Small Business Week I met Bill Brooks and learned about The Brooks Group. Bill is another one of those people who I "listen to" - and more importantly "HEAR" when he speaks. In the October IMPACT Sales Bulletin from The Brooks Group, Bill authored an article which discusses "difficult prospects" and the reasons they give you such a hard time. I found the article to be "right on target" and wanted you to have the benefit of this insightful article that follows below:
Why Is Your Prospect So Difficult? -by Bill Brooks Have you ever encountered a prospect who seemed to question everything you say, do or suggest? If you have, you're not alone.
In my 25-year sales career, I have encountered the same types of problematic prospects that you have. I have concluded that there are eight basic reasons that prospects build these walls of resistance against sales professionals' products and services.
Here they are:
1. Lack of knowledge regarding your product or service. This may very well be the single reason that your prospect is so resistant to you. When a prospect does not understand the nature of your product or service, he or she is also unaware that a need for that product or service may exist. Lack of knowledge must be met with education. It is your duty to educate your prospect about your product or service.
2. A skeptical prospect is a difficult prospect. This prospect might be disbelieving about the value of your product or service or the things that you say about it. Perhaps the best way to convince such a skeptic is to prove your claims in order to overcome his or her disbelief.
3. The need to compare is another reason that your prospect is hesitant to make a positive decision with regard to your offer. The prospect who always feels the need to compare your product or service with that of your competitor should, of course, always be accommodated. An important thing for you to remember is never, under any circumstances, insult your competitor to a prospect. This practice is unprofessional and will cause your prospect to question your honesty.
4. Ease of acquisition or difficulty of acquisition is another reason for success or failure. How easy is it to do business with you? Is it a chore or a pleasure? Is it something that makes the trip worth the destination or is it so burdensome that prospects would rather not deal with you?
5. Not having a complete story or not understanding what you, your product, or its related benefits and what it can do for the prospect is another issue. Remember, people will not act on incomplete information.
6. Poor presentation on your part can be another barrier between you and the prospect. If you fail to effectively present the value of your product or service, then your chances of completing the sale are significantly diminished. The only advice that is of any value here is to improve your presentation skills.
7. Inadequate product performance is a big reason why many prospects resist salespeople. A product or service that does not measure up to a prospect's expectations is worthless to any prospect. Prospects who have had bad experiences in the past with a product or service that is comparable to yours will also be difficult to sell to.
8. A similar barrier between you and your prospect is prejudice against you and/or your product or service. Any negative experience that a prospect has had in the past with a comparable product or service is sure to be remembered. Anything negative that your prospect has heard about you and/or your product is sure to negatively affect your chances of making the sale. In terms of the way that your prospect views you, if he or she has any prejudices about you as a salesperson, then you are sure to encounter resistance because of this prejudice.
Identifying the root cause of prospect resistance is the first step to overcoming this unfortunate barrier to the sale. When you are able to understand why a prospect is consistently resistant to you, your product or service, or both, then you are better able to work around these barriers.
While some prospects will never buy from you regardless of how hard you try to overcome these barriers, your ability to identify the reasons behind prospect resistance will surely give you a key advantage in your sales career.
Source: www.thebrooksgroup.com
If you want more information on how to deal with those difficult prospets, please contact Glenn Ebersole at jgeprman@aol.com
Selling Tips Dealing With Difficult Prospects - To learn more about this author, visit Glenn Ebersole's Website.
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