According to what Bob Dylan once wrote, it’s best to be aware of your song before singing it. He was not talking about sales. However, he could be. It’s because when it comes to the most challenging questions that potential customers and clients will likely ask, you’ll require the answers in hand prior to when they ask. If you’re prepared in and out, it’s possible that you’ll be able to avoid paying the commission. However, if you are in a state of confusion, and you’ll miss the chance of winning a customer.
I’m going to warn you immediately that the suggestions that you’ll discover in this article aren’t for the weak of heart. The truth is selling can be a tricky business at times. There are likely to be times when you’re stuck between two rocks and a difficult place. In these situations, only the most experienced professional will be able to move forward without feeling uneasy. This isn’t intended to be a criticism of young salespeople, by the way. There are definitely some competent women and men who are able to take this advice and take advantage of these tips. For the majority of us, however, it’s going to require a bit of time to get the courage. There are certain things prospects and customers are likely to bring up that appear like dead endings. Once you’ve become accustomed to them, you’ll feel stuck whenever you encounter them.
With this in mind, I’m about to provide you with one of the most influential pieces of advice that are applicable to all of these issues and also to the majority of the unpleasant sales situations that you’ll come across in your work: change the conversation. If a customer makes a comment that makes you feel sick to your stomach, move away from the conversation, like a boxer who is tying to his adversaries, or a football coach who orders a timeout at the beginning of the opponent’s fourth-quarter game, and you’ll be able to destroy the momentum. Although it may seem a little vague, however, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what I’m talking about within a few seconds.
The other thing you have to be aware of is that repetition is the key to becoming perfect. The thing that makes the most challenging questions difficult to tackle, aside from being a fact they appear to shut the door to your sales it’s because they could be a surprise. If you are prepared for them properly and are ready for them, they’ll never surprise you ever again. With these two guidelines out in place now, let’s look at the three most difficult questions salespeople are asked. Keep in mind that the tools to deal with these questions are the most advanced methods, and you’ll need to test them several times before they can help you:
#1. We’ve worked with one vendor over many years, so why should we partner with you?
If you hear this, it’s easy to accept defeat and move to the next goal. The key to dealing with this isn’t hearing that you’re not receiving the business but rather to recognize that you may not be getting all of it currently.
However satisfied your client is with the person or business that they are dealing with currently, It’s a sure thing that things will change in the near future. The only thing you can be sure of that will remain unchanged is the fact that no one stays the same. In the near future, the salesperson you’re working with is likely to quit, pass away, leave the company, or commit something that the client isn’t pleased with. The prospect may be doing the same. It is possible that your company produces an innovative product that entices buyers enough that they decide to ditch their current supplier and join your company. I’m unable to say what will happen to go to happen in the near future, but there’s a likelihood that, at the very least, one of them has already happened.
The ideal way to react when you discover that your customer is purchasing from a different vendor is to put your foot in the door and then wait. Find that one item in your arsenal – typically inexpensive and good quality which can be the ideal introduction to your business. Try to sell that little bit followed up with a top-quality service. It may be a long time; however, eventually, the client will start considering the possibility of working with a different source… which means you’ll be waiting to see it happen.
#2. What do we do about the cost?
Every customer is convinced that your cost is way too expensive. However, this isn’t going to make the problem much easier to address; fortunately, as questions that are difficult to answer come, the ones that concern pricing is the easiest to tackle. The key, as always, is to choose where you’d like to go, not where the customer would like to go. One way to accomplish this is to ask more questions. If the customer claims that the product costs too much, Respond by asking, “why did you think that?” Often, customers are quick to request discounts from habit. They will also often refer to price in order to conceal issues with the products you offer. Reversing the conversation is the best method to get into the core of the problem.
If they are able to prove they have a genuine issue with the price, there are two alternatives. One is to battle cost by comparing value. Simply put, if a customer genuinely thinks that your pricing is excessive, it’s evident that you’re not convincing them that your product is valuable enough. Also, you need to get them to want your effect greater than they would like to save cost. One way you can achieve this is to demonstrate more of the benefits of the products you offer. It is better to do this before you even discuss pricing initially. However, you are able to return to it in the event that they don’t like the price.
Another strategy is to explain the way they can benefit financially when they purchase from you. Since I’ve written many articles on metrics in selling and ROI and ROI, I’m not going to discuss the details on this topic. Therefore, for now, look up any of my previous articles or remind yourself that showing your customers what their future profits are going to look like is the most effective way to maintain your margins intact in the current.
#3. We purchased from you previously, but it was a disaster. What is the reason we should try with you again?
Ouch. Discovering that a customer was dissatisfied with your service or product previously can be a tricky thing to come to terms with. If you find yourself in an issue like this, the first thing you should do is to try what I call”the “journalist strategy.” Learn as much as that you know about the event, such as who, when the why, and the rest of it. Ideally, those are the things you’d have figured out prior to the meeting, but if you’re not sure, then do some investigation and find out the truth about the issue. After you’ve gone through the specifics or let the client talk for a bit, it’s time to apply what I believe as four of the most magical words in the salesperson’s vocabulary: from the past. Make it clear that no matter what issues that the customer may have experienced previously, you’ll make sure that it doesn’t occur again. Inform them that you’ll take personal responsibility and will take whatever steps necessary to retain and win their business. It’s not a surprise that you must keep your commitments. One reason it’s challenging to succeed in sales is that many of our colleagues will say anything in order to earn commissions. I would encourage you to provide the highest quality of service. You will not only feel more confident and your work, but you’ll also get more referrals and new customers in the future.
Although there are likely to be hundreds of challenging questions potential customers might have, however, these three are the ones that seem to confuse salespeople the most. If you are able to remember to alter the conversation and practice until you’re confident in your abilities to remain in the selling mode, you’ll be able to make new customers that others won’t.
