Whenever you find a buyer blankly staring back at you after you’ve asked a question, don’t allow them to stay in that uncomfortable state of “not ok” for very long.  I know what I do when I’m not feeling ok in the presence of a sales person.  I get away from that person as quickly as I can.

Instead of allowing them to remain in that state,  why not offer them some multiple choices for the question that you asked.

For instance if you ask, “What issues are you facing in your business?” and they stare back blankly, go into “Some people I visit with mention _______________, or __________________ or even _______________.  Do any of these issues resonate with you . . .  or might there be another?”

Keeping the buyer feeling ok through the sales process is a key component of making that sale.  What other techniques do you use for keeping the buyer from feeling “not ok”?

On this Sunday, I’ve been trying a Sandler technique on store clerks. That’s the beauty … I can practice Sandler sales techniques everywhere … not just on sales calls ( or as I prefer to call them “interviews”).

Use the phrase “I don’t suppose” in front of a request you’re making and experience the difference those words make. “Would you help me?” becomes “I don’t suppose you’d help me.”

Not only will you get a more enthusiastically positive response nine times out of ten; when they say “no,” you won’t have painted yourself into a corner. A simple “I didn’t think so” will keep the conversation moving forward without so much as an awkward moment.

Try it yourself. Let me know of your experiences right here.

Here’s an article I pass on to my readers who continue to seek for a thoughtful way to use social media for leveraging and strengthening business relationships.

I particularly like how he addresses the generational differences:

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/01/24/reid-hoffman-linkedin-startup-you/

Comments encouraged.

Why do most Americans not enjoy haggling/negotiating as much as other parts of the world?

Heard a speaker this week express a theory that the people who couldn’t negotiate co-existence with the British moved to America; and those who couldn’t negotiate a co-existence in the eastern United States moved west. So our best negotiators are in New York and our worst on Rodeo Drive in California.

What are your theories about Americans’ lack of comfort around haggling?

What are some one-word adjectives the average person uses to describe a “salesperson?” “Pushy?” “Manipulative?” “Tricky?”

That’s a huge stereotype to overcome. Where did it come from?

Let’s begin by not ever giving anyone a reason to apply one of those adjectives to us. We can change their perspectives.

What other adjectives do you think the average person uses when describing a salesperson?

Whether you sell $35 furnace filters or million dollar products, I am always amazed at the universal challenges common to most sales people.

The buyer’s willingness to mislead the salesperson to prevent themselves from being sold to; the sales person’s tendency to get emotionally involved in the outcome of the sale; and the fears that can get in a salesperson’s head – preventing him/her from calling high enough in an organization to talk to a decision maker are all common issues I’ve noted.

What other common salesperson issues have you noticed?

My wife, Sue, and I went out shopping for a new sports coat today. At one of our stops the sales person came up and of course said, “May I help you?”

We started to tell him what we wanted when he stopped us and said, “Mind if we back up a minute? My name is Rich. And the two of you are ……?” – wanting us to introduce ourselves.

I’m sure that’s how he was taught to start the conversation, but we hadn’t cooperated, and he didn’t have enough flexibility in his system to not drag us back to the beginning – making us feel “not ok” as though we had done something wrong.

He didn’t know his system well enough to know that he could have picked up our names later in the conversation. The fact that it didn’t happen the first thing wasn’t a deal breaker.

What have sales people done or said to you that made you feel “not ok?”

We could start a list here to make sure we don’t commit these offenses with our buyers?

Mike Sherman, former head football coach at Texas A&M wrote a final letter to the high school coaches with whom he had interacted over the four years at Texas A&M.  Click HERE to read the letter. Then please return here to enter your comments about anything in the letter that might have resonated with you and your own experiences.

 

At the risk of over-simplification, psychologists tend to fall into two camps of thought regarding how to obtain lasting behavioral change.

Cognitive psychologists say, “Change the way you think, that will change the way you feel, and you’ll change the way you behave.” A true statement.

Behavioral psychologists say, “Change the way you behave, and you’ll change the way you feel.” A true statement.

No doubt the most effective approach is somewhere within a mix of the two.

However, in both sales and management, my observation has been that the behavioral approach more often than not is what’s often called for.

As one speaker put it, “Courage is doing it scared.” If I wait for the feeling of “courage,” opportunity after opportunity might just pass me by.

What’s been your experience with these two approaches to changing your behaviors for the better? Which works best for you?

Might a sales rep’s title affect the amount of sales they get? Might their title affect their ability to be respected by those decision makers to whom they’re trying to sell? Might their title affect their own confidence for calling high enough in a company to get in front of the decision maker? What do you think?