Following on from our last blog, the next step in asking the right questions is:
Demonstrating Capability:
Once you’ve heard all the customers’ issues, tell them only the stories of solutions that are relevant to solving their issue. They have no interest in everything your company does or “All” the products you sell. Keep it short and relevant to them and their problems. Asking business consultants could be useful here.
Handling Objections:
You are going to get objections so be prepared for them and have an answer ready. Typical objections are:
– You are too expensive
– I’ve dealt with your industry before
– The last time we had another company in here it all ended in tears
– You tell me it will do this, that and the other, but it never does
How to deal with objections:
– Listen to the entire objection?
– Pause for three seconds before responding?
– Remain calm and not defensive?
– Meet the objection with a question in order to find out more?
– Restate the objection to make sure we agreed (communication)?
– Answer the objection?
Closing and Next Steps
– Clarify all possible problems that might be solved by the Prospect using your product. Business consultants have valuable insights here.
– What would be the value of solving those problems?
– Get agreement that the proposed solution provides the value discussed
– Are they the sole decision maker or are others involved in the decision
– Ask for the order – there are a variety of closes here but some are:
- “So Mr. Prospect, will I go ahead with the order”
- “Ok, Mr. Prospect, if you issues are X, Y & Z and our product(s) solve those by doing A, B & C. If I then run you up a price, would we be in with a good shout of closing the business?”
As business consultants we work with organisations every day and we have not yet come across a sales professional who does all of these steps, all of the time. In fact most sales people do less than 50% of these on every sales call.
You could do worse than to go through these with your sales people. Improving any one of these steps will lift an individual’s close rate by a minimum of 10%.
