Selling. The word alone strikes fear into many.
Mainly though, it is a word dreaded and feared by all but the most intrepid business owners.
Although many know that they need to “sell” their products and services – after all it is the bloodline of their business – many feel fearful or anxious about actually doing so.
And why is this?
It is unlikely that prospective clients will actually threaten you or cause you any physical harm! Rather, it is more that we get carried away by the fear of what might happen if we contact a prospective client, propose a high-cost solution, and then get rejected.
So is there a way to deal with this rejection and get over the fear of selling you ask?
The answer is yes – and it all comes back to changing your perception on sales rejection and to understand that receiving a ‘no’ from a prospect is actually a good thing.
The average business owner will mentally and emotionally give up on making the sale once they hear their first ‘no.’ They become disheartened; it shows in their eyes and their body language. They tend to avoid eye contact with their prospect after that and they mumble their goodbyes.
The thing is though, the word ‘no’ in a sales situation can actually mean several things, and there’s no way you’ll understand what the buyer really means unless you stay engaged in the sales process and ask more questions. The word ‘no’ isn’t a stop sign. It’s more often a fork in the road. By asking the right questions about the ‘no,’ you can determine which path to take from the point of hearing the ‘no.’
It is only the people who are genuinely interested in your product or service that will actually make an objection.
Try to focus on translating a buyers ‘no’ into ‘I don’t have enough information yet to make a decision.’
And in order to provide them with that information, the purpose of turnaround statements is to keep the conversation going after a buyer has expressed a concern or given you an objection. It’s important that you stay connected with the buyer rather than fighting their feelings about your product or service. You might say something like this:
“I understand how you feel, John. Perhaps I wasn’t clear about …” In this case, you are in essence taking the blame for the cause of his concern. You would then relay the proper information related to the concern.
Another suggestion is to say, “Obviously, you have a reason for saying that, Mary. Would you mind sharing it with me?” If you’ve established rapport and built upon it to this point in your presentation, Mary will tell you what’s behind her objection. Then you will know what you need to do or say to keep the sales process on track and moving forward.
