Humor me as I introduce you to a can of my famous spine stiffener, WeakNoMore. We keep caseloads on hand while we’re debriefing sales calls.
Probably hasn’t happened to you, but you’re likely aware that prospects have no problem gobbling up your information and then, almost magically, disappearing from the planet Earth.
“Tim, they told me they loved me. They gave every indication that I had it locked up. I took my wife to dinner and everything. Now they won’t return my calls, my emails, nothing!”
Breathe deep, good brother, prospects believe it’s okay to lie to a salesperson and still enjoy the fruits of heaven. And take ownership. Just spitballin’ but my gut says you might have gotten emotionally involved too early in the process and forgot to inspect what you expect. You’re not alone. It happens far too often for my liking but there are things you can do quite deliberately, without being pushy or salesy to make that challenge go away once and for all.
Set Ground Rules
David Sandler once said, “You can’t get mad at someone for doing something you didn’t tell them they couldn’t do.” It’s your responsibility to test the strength of the deal at several points during the process – however long the selling cycle. A simple ground rule would be to tell the prospect, up front, that it’s okay to say, “No.” Sounds simple but few salespeople do it. And here’s what they tell me, “But, Tim, I don’t like “no,” I want a “yes.” Beautiful. That’s a real trust-builder.
Buyers need to keep a pool of vendors around. They’re wired to keep you engaged, to keep you giving them more candy. Grab the can of WeakNoMore and hear this sales truth: Prospects use salespeople. Not because they're evil, not by any stretch. They do it because they believe it’s perfectly fine. After all, they believe you’d lie, cheat and steal from them no matter how nice you seem.
If you don’t want a prospect to hide, tell them they can’t. GAIN. AGREEMENT. No hiding.
At Sandler Training, Trustpointe we teach our clients equal business stature. To learn more about caseloads of spine stiffener, setting ground rules and the disciplined system prospects use, contact Tim Roberts at 317-845-0041 or tim.roberts@sandler.com.
