Some of you are not going to like this one.

"Does Tuesday at 9 am or Wednesday at 3 pm work better for our appointment"? "Would Red or Blue be the better color for you"? "Once this is installed how is it going to make your life easier"?

While we know these "techniques" or "tricks" in selling still work to close a sale. Most of the time your prospect sees them for what they are , tricks! Sometimes they loose you the deal, and almost every time they mark you as someone trying to sell something rather than someone that is solving problems.

If you do not want or need your prospects and clients to see you as a trusted partner, you probably do not need to hear more from us, if you do want to grow your skills and improve performance, read on.......

Many selling techniques, traditionally taught and typically employed, tend to be manipulative. They are designed to get the prospect to do something he or she is not already inclined to do. Some techniques back the prospect into a corner. Others are more subtle. The result, however, is usually the same: The salesperson pushes; the prospect pushes back. The salesperson requests action; the prospect responds with objections or stalls. The salesperson enumerates the pros; the prospect lists the cons. It is a "tug o' war" until someone gives in or walks away.

Developing a selling opportunity should be a process that leads to a logical conclusion - a yes or no buying decision. While the salesperson's objective is surely to obtain a yes, reality reveals that sometimes it will be no. It is counterproductive to try to compel a prospect to say yes when his or her decision is no.

At the beginning of the development process, establish an agreement with the prospect that the ultimate objective is to reach a yes or no buying decision - yes would be nice, but no is also OK. You will eliminate both the need for closing techniques and the need to deal with the "I need to think it over" stall. 

Jeremy Rawitz

Sales Strategy Corp.

347-385-8500

jr@salesstrategycorp.com