A tough prospect asks, "Why should I buy from you and/or your company?" The untrained, impulsive salesperson responds with a plethora of benefits which look and sound like the competing salesperson who called on the same prospect the day before.
"We've been in the business for a thousand years, we're local, we're national, we're green, we deliver high quality, we hire experience, and the list goes on...."
So what is the right response? There isn't one right answer because each sales call is different with a diverse cast of characters and dynamics. The astute salesperson knows a variety of influence skills and brings out the best sales tool based on all aspects of the sales call. Here are three proven sales tools to add to your repertoire when asked this tough question.
1. Tell the truth.
If the prospect asks this question early in the sales process, before you've had time to ask questions, tell the prospect you really don't know why they should buy from your company because you haven't had time to diagnose what's working, not working and if the problem(s) are big enough to fix. Get permission to continue asking questions to determine if there is a good reason, for both parties, to do business.
2. Respond with a compelling '30 second commercial.'
An age old saying in sales says, "No one cares about what you do, they only care about problems you solve. Most salespeople talk in 'do' language such as, "We do financial planning," "We do heating and air conditioning," or "We do lending."
A good '30 second commercial' talks about problems you solve. "Companies who buy from us are tired of turnover on the sales team, not sure how to sell value versus price, or are experiencing long buy cycles affecting cash flow." A well-crafted '30 second commercial' reminds the prospect of their pain or missed opportunities. If the prospect isn't experiencing pain or desiring gain, it's going to be a short sales meeting....and that's okay. Keep your sales pipeline pure by filling it only with prospects who want to improve or need to solve an issue.
3. Redirect - nicely.
This is an influence skill that's often abused because the salesperson answers a question with a question without proper intent. Redirecting a question with proper intent means seeking to understand the prospect's position. Many of us assign our own assumptions to a statement, question or word. "Why should I buy from you?" is not the real question. Redirect to understand.
"That's a fair question and I could give you a pat answer like we are bigger, better and faster. I think what's most important is discussing what you look for when partnering with a new vendor. Tell me about some of your best partners and what makes them so good."
The salesperson's intent is to understand the question behind the question. Was this prospect burned by a company in the past? Are they unsure of how to make a right decision? Prospects will clarify and respond with key decision criteria, which opens the door for more and better questions.
Be ready for the tough questions. Tell the truth, develop a great commercial, and redirect with the right intent.
Subscribe to Colleen's articles(Visit Colleen's Website)
Colleen Stanley is the founder and
president of SalesLeadership, Inc.
She is a monthly columnist for
national Business Journals,
co-author of 'Motivational Selling'
and author of 'Growing Great Sales
Teams: Lessons from the Cornfield.'
Colleen was the featured speaker on
sales for the 2006 New York Times
Small Business Summit.
Colleen Stanley is the creator of
the EI Selling System™, a unique
and powerful sales program that
integrates emotional intelligence
skills with consultative sales
skills. EI Selling™ offers programs
in prospecting, referral
strategies, consultative sales
training, sales management
training, and hiring/selection.
Prior to starting SalesLeadership,
Colleen was vice president of sales
and marketing for Varsity Spirit
Corporation. During her 10 years at
Varsity, sales increased from 8M to
90M. To hire Colleen as a keynote
speaker or corporate trainer,
contact Katie Kochenberger at
303-708-1128 or
katie@salesleadershipdevelopment.co
m.
http://www.salesleadershipdevelopme
nt.com
Colleen Stanley is a Gold author on EvanCarmichael.com
Colleen Stanley's
Complete
List Of
Sales Articles
If you enjoyed this article, get Colleen Stanley's Complete List of Sales Articles For FREE!
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"
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
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!
Subscribe to Colleen's articles
Different QuickBooks Versions
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!
