ASSUMPTION NUMBER ONE “I know the buyer; therefore, I can take some shortcuts in my sales pre- sentation.”


Salespeople who claim to know their buyer have stopped learning about selling. When you hear one of your salespeople say, “I know my customer’s likes and dislikes; I can even predict some of his answers to my presentation,” you can be certain the sales presentation is made to fit the salesperson’s assumption of the buyer – and not reality. What’s worse, the salesperson’s shortcuts stimulate buyers to respond with shortcuts of their own: “Spare me the details. I know what you’re selling – just tell me how much it costs and what discount I get!” Many sales- people tend to interpret this response as a buying signal and move quickly to the close. They thus omit the most important part of the call: selling cus- tomer benefits.


These shortcuts may not always amount to losing the sale, but chances are the salesperson could have sold at a better price, could have obtained a larger order, or could have persuaded the buyer to purchase a product better suited to his needs.


ASSUMPTION NUMBER TWO “I know the buyer’s business; therefore, I don’t have to review the buyer’s business needs.” This assumption leads to different


SELLING TIP Handling Objections


The Sales Script Book from Selling Power offers hundreds of power- ful responses to help you deal with nearly any customer situation. The following scripts should help you handle the “we’re happy with our current supplier” objection. 1. “I understand what you’re saying. You don’t like to


shortcuts. For example, the custom- er needs analysis may be reduced to a routine question: “What’s new in your business?” Obviously, this question won’t reveal the buyer’s new business plans, budget, person- nel changes, new competitors, etc. The seller’s shortcut also will induce the buyer to think: “I don’t need to tell the sales rep everything about our business. If he’s inter- ested, he’ll ask for specifics. If he doesn’t, it’ll be his problem.” Salespeople tend to overlook that questions about the buyer’s needs communicate more than a simple request for information. Questions are statements in disguise. A question like, “What’s new?” can communicate boredom. However, a question like, “I’d like to know how your needs have changed since we talked last,” can communicate genu- ine interest in the customer’s business. The assumption by the salesper- son that he or she knows the buyer or the buyer’s business can lead to shortcuts in the sales presentation, which, in turn, ultimately lead to lost sales and sales commissions.


STICKING TO THE TASK What can you do to help your sales- people become more task oriented, so they will use their professional selling skills on every single call? Here are five ways. 1. Change your own relationship


make change without a good reason. Here’s why I think you’ll be even more satisfied with the solution we’ve talked about today.”


2. “I’m glad to hear that – most of our customers were happy with what they had before they switched to us. But now that they’ve made the switch they’re ecstatic. Here are the three most common reasons why...”


Action Step! Take one


customer a week to lunch.


Use the time to discover a new need.


with your sales reps. You’re probably already aware of some of your sales- people’s selling shortcuts. Identify the complacent performers. Your mutually comfortable relationship with them may have decreased your own ability to appraise their performances objec- tively. Changing your own habits of dealing with the complacent rep may be uncomfortable, but it’s well worth your efforts to step out of the “old groove.” There’s nothing wrong with being friendly, but – if your compla- cent rep does not do the job – neither one of you will be gaining. 2. Increase your level of expecta- tions of the complacent sales rep. Set the example. Each time you renew your relationship with the sales rep, make sure you review one of the rep’s accounts. For example, you may ask for a detailed report on one


3. “What do you like most about what you have now?” (Then show them how your product or service delivers even more.)


4. “There’s no question that change is difficult, and you shouldn’t make a change without good reason. Based on what you’ve told me about your operations, however, here’s why this change seems to make good sense.”


— MALCOLM FLESCHNER SELLING POWER FEBRUARY 2016 | 19 © 2016 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.


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