3. Blaming “It’s not my responsibility to make that decision.” “My boss doesn’t like products like that.” “I want it, but my spouse doesn’t like it.”
4. Minimizing
“This new idea won’t do us much good.” “I don’t see what’s so great about this.” “There is little value to spending money on this.”
5. Justifying “We do have a need, but we are too busy with our reorganization.”
“I would like to go ahead right now, but the budget hasn’t been approved.”
“As long as business is slow, we can’t spend money.”
6. Derogating “I heard that these things suffer from frequent breakdowns.” “When it comes to service, nobody will be around to help us.” “You don’t have a good reputation in this area.”
7. Making a Counterargument “It’s a good idea, but it won’t work here.” “Yes, it is inexpensive, but we still can’t afford it.” “We’d like to buy two but not right now.”
8. Claiming Helplessness “It’s out of my hands. I can’t do this deal.” “If I could convince my boss, I’d buy it today.” “There is no way my wife would agree to that.”
SELLING TIP From Sales Resistance to Sales Assistance
Even the toughest purchasing agent will assist a damsel in distress, pull a drowning man from the water, help an elderly lady or gentleman cross the street, and offer free advice. A proven method of breaking through the cold call is to ask for advice. Very few people can resist a sincere request for as- sistance. Properly worded, your request for help will immediately relax a purchasing agent and change his or her thought process from, “I must resist the sales tac- tic,” to “My experience is valuable.” The request must be sincere, and the salesperson must be prepared to sit back and listen. The nodding of the head in agreement and an occasional verbal acknowledgment will encour- age the purchasing agent to continue.
28 | MAY 2015 SELLING POWER © 2015 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
Leading questions to create this atmosphere may include, “With your valuable experience as a procure- ment officer, can you assist me in [the local territory, his or her company’s purchasing procedures, other com- panies in the area, and so on]?” This type of approach should be made on the initial visit. After receiving the requested advice, hearty thanks should be offered with a request for a future appoint- ment. At the next appointment, the ice should have melted, since the buyer will be anxious to hear how you put his or her advice to good use. A communica- tion link has been established, and selling can start with a warm, friendly foundation.
– SELLING POWER EDITORS
VIDEO: REJECTION PROOF YOUR LIFE, WITH JIA JIANG
9. Having No Choice
“I tried my best, but I had no choice but to go along with the majority.” “With the many problems we’ve had in the past, I had no choice but to cancel the order.” “Based on the lower offer that we’ve received from your competitor, I had no choice but to go with them.”
10. Reframing Reality “Our purchasing system is not unfair, we are just limiting the number of suppliers.” “We may have caused you a minor inconvenience by can- celing this order, but believe me, we are saving you a lot of money in the future, because your product would have had a lot of service problems with this type of application.”
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