training
If your prospect has invited you in as a result of see- ing your Website, or an advertisement, or an article in a magazine, or a direct-mail piece, use this approach: “Jim, what was it about the brochure [or letter, advertisement, Website, or something else] that caught your attention? Why did you invite me in?” Take notes when your prospects respond. It’s a way to show you care about their problems. One helpful tool to help you and your prospect set an agenda is the up-front contract. An up-front contract is similar to what happens in a lot of sports. Before a baseball game, the umpire calls the man- agers from the opposing teams to home plate, and they discuss the rules of baseball. They agree on what’s foul and fair and what makes a home run, and they review any unusual circumstances about the ballpark. So later, during the game, if a batter hits a ball behind the catcher, up over the screen, and into the crowd, there’s no argument that it’s a foul ball. And, when a batter hits the ball over the fence between the left and right outfield foul posts, there’s no argument that it’s a home run. Imagine the confusion, however, had the managers and umpire not agreed, up front, about the rules of the game. If you think of selling as a game, why shouldn’t you use
up-front contracts? Every other sport does. What could be more honest than to establish a set of rules at the begin- ning of interacting with a prospect? An up-front contract – or, better yet, a series of up-front contracts – will save time for both you and the prospect, and it will help you make more money in sales without offending anyone.
Use the Up-Front Contract to Set an Agenda
DAVID SANDLER
As soon as you get in front of a prospect, set the agen- da for the sales call. From You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, here are several approaches you can use: • “Bill, what are some of the things you’d like to ac- complish today?”
• “Linda, when we were on the telephone, I asked you to write down five of the major problems you’re having with [blank]. Can you share some of them with me?”
• “Mary, I’ve been in sales for several years, and I have numerous clients. I’ve found there are no accidents. I believe there’s a reason we’re getting together today. What motivated you to invite me in?”
• “Kevin, last week when we spoke on the phone and you invited me in, what were you hoping I could do for you?”
20 | OCTOBER 2015 SELLING POWER © 2015 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
CONTROL YOUR FEARS WITH THE UP-FRONT CONTRACT What scares you about the selling process? Which part of the selling process causes you the most stress? Whatever it is (and maybe it’s nothing at all), deal with it by using the up-front contract. Let’s assume you stumble over asking for money in the selling process. Here’s how you can solve the problem: “Chuck, before I begin talking to you about my product [or service], let me tell you about my biggest concern. I’m afraid that, when I get to the end of the presentation, you’re going to like what you see and hear, but I’m going to have difficulty asking you for money. That’s always been something that gets in my way. I have trouble asking for money. To get that out of the way – and to ease my mind so I can give you my best presentation – are you OK deal- ing with money up front?” Using this approach, you substitute any problem or
word for “money” and get your prospect to agree to discuss it first. An up-front contract is based on the legal concept of a contract. Any valid legal contract consists of four
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