BUSINESS TALK
Why buyers lie to you and what they really mean
Sales people are frequently fobbed off by potential clients who just want to get them off the phone or out of the door. But sales expert ANDY PRESTON has an answer for everything...
I
ʼm often amazed at how many salespeople are surprised when they realise that the buyer or decision maker they were talking to has lied to them. In many cases the salesperson will actually defend the buyer – saying “well, theyʼre just not ready to buy”, or “they have to see all the salespeople first and then make a decision”, or “they need to check with a couple of colleagues first”. If your sales team is telling you the same, then get in touch with me now! What the salesperson often means is: “I havenʼt done my job properly”. Yet not many are willing to admit it (and some arenʼt even aware of it!).
So here are some phrases that decision makers will say to you or your team – and what they really mean.
“I’m happy with my existing supplier” Iʼm still astounded when most salespeople fall for this one, and either exit the call or almost mentally ʻgive upʼ. When the buyer says this, what they may actually mean is “I donʼt know you well enough to consider you as an alternative supplier just yet”, or “I donʼt like you as much as I like my existing supplier”, or even “Your call or visit has interrupted me and Iʼm going to use a phrase that gets rid of most salespeople (but might not even be true)”. Yet when salespeople hear this objection they often let it affect them in a negative way and some donʼt even get as far as asking another question. Letʼs face it, if this is your first conversation or visit with the potential new client, isnʼt it fairly normal for them to be happy with their existing supplier at this stage? Itʼs your job as a salesperson to understand their current solution and how your product or service adds value to what theyʼre trying to achieve with it. If you only relied on being lucky as mentioned above – youʼre missing out on the majority of your sales opportunities!
“I need to think about this and come back to you”
When someone says this, what they might well mean is “I havenʼt got enough information to be able to make a decision on this yet (or you havenʼt given me enough)”.
What they might also mean is “Iʼm not sure about you, so Iʼm going to check you and your company out on the internet while youʼre not here”. Or even “Iʼve
already decided not to use you but Iʼm not willing to tell you that!”
Whichever of those it is, leaving the appointment or phone call at this stage is the worst thing you can do. Even if they are considering you and truly thinking about it in more detail, what that means is that theyʼre going through that process (and even reaching their decision) without you being involved.
What chance have you got of putting any element of persuasion into that process? None whatsoever! Not the best use of your sales skills, is it?
“I’m under contract at the moment” Again, something a lot of salespeople fall for. I was out with a client doing some cold calls last month when the salesperson was fortunate enough to meet the decision maker. What a great bonus you might think?
Not if you donʼt deal with it properly! The decision makerʼs first objection was
“Weʼre under contract at the moment”. The salesperson replied “and when does that contract finish?” (which is a really stupid question by the way). The decision maker then said “Oh, not for another five years!” Now even though the salesperson knows that five-year contracts donʼt even exist in his industry, he still accepted it without challenging. Isnʼt that crazy? When a buyer or decision maker tells you theyʼre under contract, what they might simply mean is “Go away!” Or perhaps “I donʼt want to be pitched to by you right now”. Or they may even consider it a challenge, as in “letʼs see how he
“Your sales have been so bad lately, firing you wasn’t good enough...” handles this one”.
Again if you fall for this, youʼve only got yourself to blame.
“I’ve had a better price” What a great negotiation tactic this is! Yet many salespeople donʼt realise it and fall for it almost every time – particularly if theyʼre struggling for sales figures or income. Often, when the buyer says this, what they may well mean is “Letʼs see how much you can reduce your price by” or even “Letʼs get a cheaper quote from you, so I can go to my existing supplier and get their price down as well!”
Buyers and decision makers know this works because the salespersonʼs first thought is “I need to drop my price to get the deal” rather than “I need to find out more about this”.
The conversation then turns to how much the buyer or decision maker wants the price reduced by – also known as “haggling” – and in some cases, the price ends up somewhere between 50-70% of what the salesperson originally stated. The salesperson then justifies to themselves that what just occurred was necessary to win the order, whereas the buyer or decision maker thinks “Fantastic! Just got 30-50% off something I would have paid full price for!”
Not the outcome you really want as a salesperson, is it? n Follow the tips above and watch your sales soar. I look forward to hearing how you get on. Visit Andyʼs website at
www.andypreston.com or call 0161 401 0142.
| 78 | March 2013
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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