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Myth #23: Professional Salespeople Do Whatever It Takes |
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More than ever I am hearing salespeople and CEOs saying, "We cannot afford to lose a single sale." Therefore, too many are falling for the myth that they must do whatever it takes to close the sale. Be careful!
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Chuck Reaves, CSP, CPAE, CSO
404.822.6171
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| Myth: Professional salespeople do whatever it takes to make the sale happen
Truth: Professional salespeople do WHAT it takes to make the sale happen
"Doing whatever it takes" is the mindset that leads to lower profits and a deterioration in integrity.
Desperate people do desperate things.
The desperate salesperson cannot help but communicate their sense of urgency to the buyer. When buyers know the seller is desperate, the buyer is in control.
In Sales 101 you probably learned the approach of asking, "What will it take to make this happen?" as a closing technique. Besides the fact that techniques rarely work, this one is especially dangerous because it sends the wrong message.
You may be working twice as hard as you used to in order to close half the business. It's still not time for you to abandon the value-added sales principles that made you and your company successful.
CONTINUE to follow the sales process methodology (SPIN, Sandler, P.L.U.S.H., etc.) you've been using. It still works. You will hear the price objection more often and, yes, for more and more of your clients it's legitimate - they really don't have the funds. Still, a desperate attempt at grabbing the sale is not the answer.
Here are two basic approaches that are being used by large (Fortune 100) and small companies are using:
- Pay Less, Get Less Can you strip down your offering so that your customer can "get by" on less while still having access to the quality of your product/service?
- Pay Same, Get More Is there a way you add more to what the customer receives from you at the existing selling price?
Using either of these will keep the customer buying from you and have you in the ideal position to restore them to the previous price/delivery levels once the economy turns around!
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| Practical Application
I am using BOTH of the approaches above.
For clients who are truly struggling financially, I'm offering a simplified but still powerful sales development program. Utilizing technology, coordinating schedules with other clients, bartering and bundling their materials in with other projects we find ways of mutually helping each other.
Today, my regular fee includes domestic travel expenses and, occasionally foreign travel. Keynotes include thirty days of consulting and even access to SaleSSuiteS for all of the salespeople.
How might this apply to you?
- DELIVERY Can you help with shipping costs?
- KNOWLEDGE If you normally charge for onsite installation or training, can you deliver it electronically (web, media?)?
- LESS Can your customer temporarily use a lesser version of your product? For instance, one client has a 12-Month product and a 36-Month version. They've done a great job of developing a cost justification process and calculator for the better unit but right now some of their clients are not sure they'll be in business in 36 months! So they offer them the lower grade widget with a migration plan to replace them later with the better units.
- CREATIVITY You've probably seen the Xerox commercial about reducing costs where tired people are sitting around the table looking for cost savings. Have a brain storming session with as many different departments in your organization as possible.
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 DIY Idea
If you're not in the habit of conducting in-house, do-it-yourself sales training, you will be. It's the hottest - and most necessary - change you can make.
Use the ideas above to conduct a DIY session:
- Share your knowledge (applications). Have everyone on your team bring one idea of something extra you could add to your offering.
- Share your customer's ideas. Have everyone on the team bring one suggestion from a customer of something they would do without in exchange for a modest price reduction. (Be careful with this! Some customers may expect a price reduction. Many, however, will let you know that they need and use every aspect of your product or service and will reconfirm that you're worth your price.)
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 Improve Your Sales Abilities Today
SaleSSuiteS is ready when you are. Interactive, multimedia online sales development arranged by topic. Simply click on the logo to find new ideas you can begin using within the next hour.
"Automating and Simplifying DIY Sales Development"
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