I find sales conversations the hardest part of doing business. For most of my life, I’ve been sceptical about business. I believed grants to be ethically superior to business.
I’m not entirely opposed to grants but sceptical about the grant-making industry; what grants can achieve and a project’s sustainability when supported by grants.
Many of the values of community I’ve supported during my working life can be found in business networks. However, if you enter those networks you are sooner or later going to have sales conversations.
How do You Know it is a Sales Conversation?
Not all business conversations are sales conversations and it is important you know what type of conversation you are having. Your partner in the conversation also needs to know.
The aim of a one-to-one conversation is not to make a sale. It is to find out about the other person’s business. If you are going to help another business it is important you understand their offer and their market.
Sometimes a one-to-one turns into a sales conversation. I don’t necessarily recommend you try this. It is better if the initiative comes from the other person. A question like, “Do you know anyone who might be interested in my offer?” can occasionally result in interest from the person opposite. This is not necessarily as helpful as a list of possible contacts!
It may at this point be a good idea to adjourn and meet again for the sales conversation.
On Not Being Slimy
Everyone fears the hard sell and most people have built-in slime detectors and will run a mile. Even more problematic is if they detect hidden slime. It is amazing how a conversation slips away when people detect hidden sales intentions. I sometimes have to check back over what I said because people are incredibly sensitive and back off at a hint of sales.
The hard sell is out and the sneaky sell is also out. So, what’s left? First, sit down and listen to the other person. In a sales conversation, the prospect must do the talking. You ask a few questions and let them talk.
At some stage, assuming you can help, you can ask if they would like to hear how you can help them.
On Not Being Understood
This is a real problem. Prospects often have a fixed idea of the solution they need. Sometimes they don’t even know what the problem is. I’m often approached for a website. The sales conversation is crucial because prospects do not always need a website.
I don’t sell websites. I sell local marketing solutions and sometimes they include a website.
If you’re ill, you don’t go to your doctor and demand an antibiotic. You expect to take time to explain your symptoms and be examined by the doctor. Usually, you’re relieved there is a cure and happy to do whatever it takes. You might think you need an antibiotic and you may be right but usually you accept the doctor’s solution.
With your business, the chances are you know more about it than your marketing consultant. Nevertheless, it is always better to take the opportunity to talk through your problem and discuss possible solutions with the consultant. That way you can be sure your chosen solution is the right one for your business.
I had a prospect a few months ago who turned me down. The other day I saw the offer of a website from a competitor they had accepted. Their new designer is charging a little less than I did and is reproducing their current site with slightly better graphics.
Their solution is in flat html and is actually not an improvement on what they had before. I failed to get across to them that (1) solutions like this are a waste of money and time, and (2) far more powerful solutions are available than many website designers are offering.
Their new designer has an advantage in that they are selling something simple and easy to understand. Unfortunately it is the solution they want and not the solution they need.
On Not Saying No
One thing to bear in mind is many prospects do not understand they have two options; yes and no. Both options are acceptable. There are many advantages to someone saying no:
- It saves me time, preparing material for a sale and then discovering there is no sale
- It keeps communications open and a prospect who says no may be able to support my business in other ways.
What can happen is the cold shoulder. The prospect goes silent. I suspect many people say yes to get out of the room and mean no.
I’m sure this is something I’m doing wrong and I share it here because I suspect it is a problem many business people encounter. The solution? I’m still working on it but I think it includes at an early stage reassuring your prospect and explaining the advantages of saying no, without making it so attractive that no-one ever says yes!
Closing the Deal
When someone says yes, depending on what is on offer, there are several steps to turning it into a deal. Leaving aside those who say yes but mean no, there is another group who change their mind.
Clearly, there may be an advantage in having a cooling off period, particularly if you offer a consultancy service. A programme of work with someone who is full of doubts is unlikely to work to anyone’s advantage.
However, there is something called buyers’ remorse and this often kicks in when you make an expensive purchase. You will have experienced it. If there are several days between yes and sealing the deal, it is possible for buyers’ remorse to set in before the payment.
Understand buyers’ remorse is independent of the advantages of sealing the deal. It is a natural emotional response. I’ve suggested some ways to counter buyer’s remorse and so I won’t go through that again – especially as I don’t know as yet whether any will work!
A lot depends on your belief in what you sell. You need to be positive and on the ball. I can remember times when I simply didn’t think of the right thing to say until afterwards, when it was too late. The point is a lot of this is down to experience and whilst there are plenty of ideas around, nothing replaces experience.
Please share any approaches you have tried to sales conversations. Did they work?
