The traditional salesperson is trained to believe that in order to make the sale; you need to get the prospect to make small incremental “yes” commitments that lead up to the big “yes” -- getting the order. There is a better way that will help develop a professional relationship based on trust. If you want the order, allow your prospect to say “no” first.
Does that sound counterintuitive?
The first thing every salesperson needs to accomplish with a prospect is to make them feel comfortable and let down their guard, so that they can have a genuine and productive dialogue. The way to do this is by giving the customer the ability to say “no” at the beginning of the sales process ... by allowing them to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, your product or service is not right for them. In addition, if this were the case, don’t you want to find out sooner rather than later?
In actuality, this will rarely happen if you have done your homework. However, by giving the prospect the opportunity to say “no” at the beginning of the sales process, you are making them feel more comfortable and relaxed. They no longer feel pressured, waiting for the traditional salesperson to pounce. Once this openness is established, you can have an honest interaction. The salesperson can work on building trust by acting as an adviser and consultant who helps the prospect with their needs, as opposed to the salesperson just maneuvering to get an order.
To become successful in sales today, you need to be different. You can’t walk, talk or act the way the typical salesperson does. For every tricky close and manipulative selling technique the traditional salesperson uses, the prospect has his own moves to outmaneuver him.
So if you want the order, get your prospect comfortable first and let them say NO. Once they say no, you are on your way to getting the order.
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