When I deal with salespeople calling on me, I try to be very non-committal and pretend to be just a good listener (which I am). Positive answers are easy to give out…platitudes really. The salesman plays along real well because he wants a positive first meeting. We talk about ‘future needs’ so that we don’t have to commit to becoming advesaries in negotiations.
Wait! Isn’t that what a salesperson really wants, negotiation? Moving toward a deal?
(There are salespeople who do the opposite, who jump into negotiating without establishing my need or interest. But that’s the subject of another post someday.)
John Jantsch shows us why getting your prospect to say no allows you to get to the next question…why. Here his list of objections (usually not verbalized by the prospect):
- I don’t have enough information
- I don’t trust you
- I want proof
- I don’t trust myself
- I don’t see the value
Most likely it is number 2 or 5. Of course, “I don’t see the value” means “I don’t see the value to me” or, more succinctly: “I don’t care”. John says it is now a puzzle for the salesperson to figure out which one it is and take it from there.
Marketing Eye: What sales tools can you give your salespeople to overcome each of these possible objections?
Read more: Duct Tape Marketing Blog – What Part of NO Don’t You Get?