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Everyday, people from all over the world send me their
selling challenges. This one just came in from Julie in
Atlanta, Georgia:
"Ari, I'm not a typical salesperson. I'm easy-going, I focus
on client needs, and I do my best not to exert any sales
pressure. But I still end up getting stuck in the cat-and-
mouse sales game, and I don't understand why. I call a
prospect, and, if they don't say 'no' right away, we have a
pleasant conversation. They lead me to believe that they're
interested in my service, but the next thing I know I find
myself back in the 'chasing' game. Please help!"
Julie is echoing the hundreds of conversations that I have
every week with people who tell me that they don't believe
in old-style selling but still get "stuck" in the same
negative cycle of sales frustration that thousands of people
experience every day.
The answer lies in a hidden and quiet enemy called "sales
pressure"-- not the typical, overt "salesperson" type of
pressure, but subtle, beneath-the-surface, built-in sales
pressure that can arise in our relationships with potential
clients without us even realizing it.
This subtle type of sales pressure is triggered whenever you
focus on the goal of getting an appointment or making a
sale, coupled with communication that clearly says to
potential clients, "I'm taking you through my sales
process."
These two factors are red flags that make potential clients
feel mistrustful because they feel that you're going to try
to "sell them," and they respond by evading, withdrawing,
and concealing the truth of their situation.
How can you eliminate this subtle form of sales pressure?
Here are 7 solutions:
*
Stop carrying the burden of driving the sales process
forward. Try to engage potential clients based on the
problems they're facing rather than on the solution that
you're trying to sell, no matter how much you believe in it.
And, instead of asking questions intended to "extract"
information that you can then use to move the sales process
forward, listen for cues that tell you where potential
clients want to take the conversation, so they feel
understood. If you can let your conversation evolve to that
point, they will move the sales process forward.
*
Watch out for "sales"-type language. Statements like "When
shall I follow up?," "Can I come by and show you what I
have?" and "Do you still want to move forward?" are all
examples of language that inevitably triggers sales
pressure.
Try to imagine that your potential client is a
friend. How would your language change? I would bet that
you'd communicate with spontaneous words and phrases that
would spring out of you naturally and allow a trusting
connection to emerge, in contrast to "me" language designed
to make the sale.
*
Become aware of your inner voice and what it's saying. So
many thoughts run through our mind before we pick up the
phone to call a potential client.: "I better have all the
answers," "I'd better prepare myself for potential
rejection," "I really hope I can get an appointment."
These thoughts stem from traditional sales conditioning, which
taught us that we always have to be prepared for
disappointment and frustration. How about changing that
inner voice to a more positive one that will not only make
it easier for you to engage in conversations but will
decrease your stress level as well? See how you feel when
you tell yourself instead:
* "I'm not going to make any assumptions that my product
or service is a fit until we both determine that there's
a problem to solve."
* "Not being 'perfect' with a potential client isn't a sign
of weakness but an indication that I'm human too."
* "I don't need to fear rejection because I'll use an approach
that won't trigger it."
*
Don't look at sales as a "game" but as a mission to help
those in need. If you shift the way you think about selling,
you'll begin to experience the relief that comes with
shedding the burden of the negative sales stereotype.
*
Find new role models. Look around you for successful people
who sell but don't exhibit traditional sales behavior and
thinking. You can learn from their positive example. Pay
attention to how they build trust, dialogue with potential
clients the same way they would with friends, and always,
always, keep their own agendas in check, so that potential
clients feel that their own needs --not the salesperson's
commission at the end of the sale -- are priority number
one.
*
Be open to a new approach. You may even still hit your
sales goals if you stick with traditional sales thinking,
but what toll will this take on your self-esteem? And you
will never know what opportunities you lost along the way
because you exerted subtle sales pressure on potential
clients.
*
Find new ways to build trust. You know how to build trust.
You do it all the time in your personal life. So why is it
so hard in selling? Because traditional sales thinking only
shows you how to outsmart your potential clients--and that
kind of approach is totally incompatible with building
trust.
If you're skeptical about being able to eliminate subtle
sales pressure, you're holding yourself back from making a
breakthrough in your sales life.
Ari Galper is the founder of Unlock The Game™,
http://www.UnlockingTheGame.com
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