Category: Overcoming Objections

The beer maker Stella Artois used its higher prices compared to other brands as a positive differentiator in their sales pitches. It was a very confident move of a company prepared to fight for their product quality rather than lower prices. It was done in a fun way too. The ads belong to my favourites.

If you hear the classic ‘it is too expensive’ objection more than once in a while, read on.

This High Growth Sales idea is aimed at sales people who want to overcome objections like ‘it is too expensive’. I will give you a script as well as a tip to avoid the objection in the first place.

Before we jump ahead of ourselves, let’s have a quick look at what is actually going on.

For an unknown reason we have managed to focus the customer’s thoughts more on cost than anything else. The demo was great and so was the need finding. We even spoke to the right person and the timing was also right.

What is even more curious is the failure of the sales process.

A sales person’s single purpose is to convince a customer seeing more value than cost and subsequently buy. After all, if a prospect sees value without that help, the sales person is not needed in the first place. A brochure or video would do.

Here is a suggested script to overcome the objection ‘it is too expensive’:

‘I appreciate you saying this. Some of my clients felt the same way after the initial meeting. When we reviewed the key benefits again, they found it good value and move forward. May I suggest we look at how our product helps your business moving forward again briefly?’

So, how can we avoid the ‘it is too expensive’ objection?

Stella Artois positioned price as a differentiator by showing how much value drinkers put on a pint.

In sales we should do the same: Find out what problem our customers want to resolve and gain their commitment in doing so. We have to make it explicit and clear enough for all parties to be able to move forward. Do that and you will have seen the last of the ‘it is too expensive’ objection. You will make more sales.

If you like to be able to pitch as well as Stella Artois but would a bit more help, feel free to get in touch.

My very first boss, Azim Isa, taught me a high sales growth technique I still use and promote today.

It looks as simple as 1+1=2, yet applying it well is where the real skills and knowledge are needed.

He told me that prospects will buy by qualifying the potential sales opportunity in just 5 areas:

1. Agreed budget/cost/investment

2. Agreed and prioritised needs related to the prospect/product/service proposition

3. Agreed time frames to proceed

4. The decision making process, people and criteria

5. A comparison with a competitor proposal

“Focus your sales interview on these 5 qualifiers, Gert” he said.

” But don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this list. Understanding your customers 100% is what is needed. This is the most rewarding and the most difficult skill to master in sales”

After 25 years in sales I share this simple high sales growth model with everyone who wants to hear about it. I have done well out of using it with customers small and large, short and long sales cycles.

And if you want to learn more and use this technique to boost your sales immediately contact me today

Azim, thank you for this constant truth in selling!

#salescoach #salespitch #sales #SDRS

High sales growth includes anticipating potential objections and stopping them before they start.

Here are 4 proven strategies anticipating common sales objections.

“They need to think about it”

means you did not create enough urgency

Fix: include time frames in your fact finding. Ask questions related any dead lines, start or finish points even if the answers are likely to be aspirational. A deadline focuses mind and creates leverage for salespeople.

“They thought it was too expensive”

means you did not demonstrate enough value.

Fix: confirm the pain points during your re-cap. Explore why the customer is seeking a solution to their problem. Discover the implications on the business of not finding a solution.

“They need to speak to the boss”

means you did not engage with the decision maker.

Fix: qualify your prospect as decision maker or influencer during your fact-finding. In some companies decision making processes are slow, complex and collaborative. In other cases it is quick and central.

“They did not see how the product would benefit them”

means you did not understand their needs.

Fix: fact find relentlessly before presenting any solution. It is easy to fall into the trap of discovering just one pain point. Resist the temptation to offer a solution too early. Cover every angle beforehand instead.

Bonus tip: Recap on the customer’s needs and wants, just before you present the solution. This validates not only the presentation, it also explains clearly why you are there.

If you want to know more about objection handling in consultative sales, feel free to drop me a line

Happy selling!

#sales #objectionhandling #factfinding #marketing

This sales tip is for sales people whose success ratios have started to reduce in the past 2 years. Their traditional way of selling may need a re-fresh

The days of pushing a customer into buying your product are over. Today’s customer is better informed than ever. They research you and your company long before they meet you. They are likely to know about your competitors too. It is quite possible they have made a decision to buy your product if the overall proposition is right. So stop pushing your customers around. They do not want it, will turn you down and go elsewhere.

Instead, seek gaining agreement to proceed for a purchase. You and the customer are actually on the same side. They need a solution and you want to sell it to them. The need help and you want to support them. The seek a thinking supplier and you want to be their trusted adviser.

Here are 3 examples how the old ‘push’ method has now changed in permission based selling:

1) Push: “What I would like to do today, is find out about your company and see how our products will help you”

Permission selling: “What would be a good outcome for you from our time today?

2) Push: “Most companies buy our product for one of three reasons. Cost savings, convenience or innovation. Which of these applies most to you? “

Permission selling: “Would it be useful to explore the options available to address the supply issues you described?

3) Push: “I would like to provide you with a quote and come back next week”

Permission selling: “What do you see as a good next step to take from here?”

I work with plenty of sales people who made the changes above. Their telling style has moved to one where they ask questions, explore the issues and options to progress.

Sales have taken off.

All it took was confidence and perhaps some encouragement mostly from their sales coach…

If you like sales tips like these and would like to receive more, feel free to join the mailing list

#permissionbasedselling #salescoaching

With June 2018 behind us we should now focus on July and the second half of the year.

We need clear sales targets as well as agreed routes to get there. That is obvious.

Yet our personal development as sales people needs targets too. That is how we become the best we can be in the fabulous sales profession.

“Sharpen that saw” as Stephen Covey identified as the 7th habit of highly successful people who were on the top of their game.

Here is what I learned from the insurance industry where sales agents are continually developed in three key areas:

Knowledge

Know your products inside out. Know your markets in depth. Know how your quotations work and what they mean. With this knowledge you can add real value to your customers. Be an expert and a source of interesting and useful information.

Skills

Be a boss in selling skills: prospecting, appointment making, rapport building, questioning techniques, needs development tactics, gaining commitment, closing and application form filling are all key skills for a sales person. Aim to be brilliant at ALL of them. And for some sales people project management, public speaking, facilitation and negotiation skills are the staple of success.

Attitude

Customers know and feel your state of mind. Belief in your product, your company and colleagues are essentials. Be humble, positive, certain, friendly, firm and kind. Your attitude determines how your customers feel about you and determines if they will buy from you. People buy from people they trust.

Knowledge, skills and attitudes define our sales success. Why not put a simple plan together making sure you sharpen your saw too and make 2018 even more successful for you.

#7habits#development#salesskills#attitudes#salesteammotivation#salesteammanagement#motivatingasalesteam

This blog explains why sales people make more sales when they match their sales process to the buyer’s buying stages.

Buyers and sellers go through a number of steps when they buy or sell.

Most successful sales people use a flexible sales process ranging from “needs discovery”to “closing the sale”. They go through a series of logical steps to achieve a sale as fast as possible.

You can increase your closing rates further by matching your selling process to the customer’s buying stage when you first contact them.

The graphics above show the increasing sales percentage chance as customers get closer to placing an order. Buyers also use a process that works for them.

Here are examples of adjusting selling technique and style accordingly.

• If they need advice, give it.
• If they want options, provide them.
• If they want a solution, present it convincingly.
• When they want to buy, sell to them.

The temptation to start a call with demonstrating your product features and benefits is always there, yet is that what your customer wants right now? Customers have more choice and immediate access to great solutions than ever before.

As a professional, the sales person needs to deliver value that cannot be found easily elsewhere. Making sure you are relevant is critically important in a world where time is money.

When you find they are still at an early stage on their buying journey, you have excellent opportunity to give most support and demonstrate value throughout. Over time, your chances of closing the deal will increase.

If you first meet customers who are close to the end of their buying journey, you should aim to close on the spot with that killer offer to get the deal. It is quite possible the customer has already had a number of quotations from other sales people.

And if you meet them when there is no immediate need, you best move on to a customer that has immediate issues to resolve.

Next time you get a hot lead, match your sales approach to your buyer’s buying stages and increase your closing rate.

#Salestips #salestechnique