When we approach a suspect for the first time we know relatively little about them and the same is true for them about us. A classic mistake many salespeople make is to launch into a long winded tale of what a great company they represent and all the wonderful things that they and their products or services will do for them. This is rightfully met with a lot of skepticism. The suspect is thinking who are you? (notice I said suspect not prospect more on this in another article) You don’t know how we do business here or what my issues are. The result is rarely an appointment if that was the goal in the first place.
A much better approach is to share experiences and results from your existing client base. It sounds like this: Recently we have been working with ABC Company. As a result their productivity is up 27%. The reason I am calling today specifically is to set an appointment with you to share how we were able to help them achieve this.
This has a totally different feel. Of course it has to be real. And this is where it breaks down sometimes. You have to actually call your customers and ask them a simple question. Are you still happy with us? For some reason many reps don’t want to make that call. They may be afraid the answer is no! I am not happy. But wouldn’t you want to know that? What have you got to lose? You are not likely to get any more business from them. Unless you clear up their problem and sooner is better than later.
If they are happy you simply explain that you will be prospecting for new clients and would like to use them as a reference. Most people are flattered. Some say they need to check with someone else in their company- legal, compliance or maybe the owner. That’s fine just ask when you can call them back. I rarely have anyone say no. If they do and there is nothing wrong with products or service just move on. You have lots of happy customers. The more happy stories you have the better. You can choose the ones that will likely be interesting to the suspect you are calling.
One other thing. You may get some business you weren’t expecting-A bonus. You will likely get some positive reinforcement too. We can all use a little of that.
Happy Stories - To learn more about this author, visit Don Mersereau's Website.
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Don Mersereau
(Visit Don's Website)
Don Mersereau is an expert sales training
consultant who has over 30 years of
experience. In the last 3 years alone Don
has worked with clients in 5 countries and
23 US States. No wonder his business is
booming! Your company can naturally
benefit from his wisdom and his
experience. Mr Mersereau continues to work
with clients from all over the world
coming from various industries. If you or
your sales team are beginning to plateau
or just can't seem to shake bad habits,
give us a call. DEI Ottawa wants to help
you stay ahead of competition with highly
efficient selling techniques taught by
experienced sales training consultants.
See how efficient sales techniques can
increase your company’s productivity!
Visit us on line at www.
powerfulsalestraining.com or call toll
free at 1866-434-1492
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Emanuel Derman relates a Fischer Black observation on trading from 1994 that is worth pondering.
