Sales & Management Training, Development & Consultancy
Recently, one of my clients was complaining about how difficult it is to get hold of the prospect again after sending them a written proposal. He told me that this happens often; he has a good sales meeting, the prospect seems eager to proceed and invites him to follow-up with an email. Then nothing.
I asked if I could have a look at one of his proposals. When I’d read it, I phoned him and asked him to tell me what he thought the prospect would gain by working with him. I wanted him to tell me why the prospect should say yes. So he did. In fact, he spent three to four minutes on the phone explaining the benefits and outlining the value for the prospect in a very persuasive manner.
I’m playing the prospect in a roleplay with a salesperson who is currently handling my objections. The sales exec is delivering rebuttals in response to my concerns and he’s doing well. But he shouldn’t be having to do this in the first place…
When we finish the session, I applaud his determination and tenacity in addressing the issues. Then I point out that the reason he’s good at handling objections is because he isn’t good at questioning. In fact he found out very little about the prospect before he launched into his sales pitch. He thinks he was selling but I think he was telling.
The sales community is very fortunate. We have a universe of experienced sales professionals constantly posting information and advice about how to be a better sales person. I find this hugely informative and immensely useful and it made me think that perhaps I should contribute as well. So here’s some observations on getting started. Hope you find them helpful.
