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Are You Risking The Relationship for the Sale -- And Then Losing the Sale Anyway By: Ari Galper
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Losing a sale can be disheartening, especially if you lose it for
reasons you aren't even aware of.
Traditional selling approaches tell us that sales are usually lost because
of some element -- price, features, benefits -- having to do with our
product or service.
So, when we sell, we naturally focus on what we're selling because we feel
we have to differentiate our product or service so prospects understand
what we're offering that's unique.
But...what if focusing all your energy on WHAT you're selling is actually
the main reason WHY you're losing sales?
"Not possible!" you say. No?
Let's hear, in my client Ryan's own words, what happened to him.
His story will help you realize why you may be losing sales without really
understanding why.
Hi, Ari, It's been a while since we've been in touch, and I'm sure you were
frustrated working with me because I was so engrained in traditional sales
thinking. I have to admit that it has taken me quite some time to shift my
selling mindset.
I just wanted to let you know that I've finally unlocked my brain -- and
consequently the game!
Here's what happened.
Recently, my VP of sales strongly "suggested" that I push for a close with
the largest account that my company had seen. We were all anxious for them
to make a decision, but I knew that they needed to reach a few more
milestones in their own processes first.
I tried to convey this to my VP, but the suggestion became a demand, and we
proceeded down "our" path of techniques and whatnot to convince them to go
with us. Of course, I had the VP on every call after this.
At the end of the day, they decided to go with someone else.
When I asked them for feedback, I got a real wake-up call.
They said that at first they felt as if I really understood their processes
and problems. Our prices were a little higher than our competition, but
what stood out was my approach to understanding them and not pushing the sale.
They felt as if I really had their best interests in mind, so they heard me
out. But when I started to push for the close, they saw that I was just
like everyone else who sells, so they had to make their decision based on
price, instead of on the value of our relationship.
The relationship, and consequently the sale -- which I invested many hours
developing-- died the moment I put on the pressure. By using traditional
sales techniques, I wound up sacrificing the relationship and the sale.
This experience was what I needed to unlock my brain and realize the impact
of traditional selling techniques on prospects (or should I say, "people").
I finally feel as if I've found the missing ingredients that make selling a
natural, productive experience that will actually bring me sales instead of
losing them.
Warmest Regards,
Ryan
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Ryan's story points to a very important lesson: if you don't have an
approach that is a perfect balance of nonaggression and effective
penetration of your prospect's core needs, you'll end up asking yourself
time after time, "Why am I losing sales, and why has selling become so
painful?"
You can risk the relationship and lose the sale, but with a different sales
mindset, you don't risk anything at all -- because you can preserve the
relationship, and make the sale.
With a Masters Degree in Instructional Design and over a decade of experience creating breakthrough sales strategies for global companies such as UPS and QUALCOMM, Ari Galper discovered the missing link that people who sell have been seeking for years.
His profound discovery of shifting one's mindset to a place of complete integrity, based on new words and phrases grounded in sincerity, has earned him distinction as the world's leading authority on how to build trust in the world of selling.
Leading companies such as Gateway, Clear Channel Communications, Brother International and Fidelity National Mortgage have called on Ari to keep them on the leading edge of sales performance. Visit http://www.unlockthegame.com to get his free sales training lessons.