The Silver Bullet Of Sales

Whenever I work with sales managers who are failing, I notice that they all talk about the immediate issues going on with their salespeople and are looking for the “quick-fix” or “silver bullet” answer from me.

Most of them have given up and think they have already thought of everything. The one thing that they usually have never thought of is to zoom out and look at the big picture, which includes their own behavior and how it contributes or even causes the issue to occur.

It Seems The Problem Is Always “Out There”

The same thing happens when I listen to sales people. They zoom in and obsess over an issue that the buyer is having and of course never consider how they may have caused this issue in the first place. They make excuses like, “Our prices are too high!” or “They were just shopping for a price.” All the reasons they cite are focused on blaming the buyer.

Your Ego Is Not Your Amigo

You see, the problem seems to be “always out there” with someone or something else. Anything but looking at themselves and how their actions caused the issue. Why is this problem with looking at ourselves such a common issue? Well I think that to look at what you are doing or not doing is painful if you are trying to protect your ego.

Salespeople love to focus on specific objections from specific people in specific situations rather than looking at the big picture to understand what caused the objection in the first place.

Okay, so if you are ready to put your ego aside and look at the responses that might turn the situation around, I will cover a few of the “greatest hits” of sales objections. Without further ado, here we go.

The “Object-O-Matic” Greatest Hits

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BUYER: “Your prices are too high.”

YOU: “I understand, it is a high investment nut can I ask you a question? When was the last time you purchased the finest quality service and it was cheap?”

BUYER: “Hmmmm, never!”

YOU: “So what should we do?”

BUYER: “Okay, we’ll take the second one from the top.”

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BUYER: “I need to talk to my husband.”

YOU: “I agree your husband should have his input on this so can I ask you a question? If he were here, which option would he purchase the more premium or more economical choice?

BUYER: The one in the middle.”

YOU: “So what should we do?”

BUYER: “Yeah, let’s do that one for now.”

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BUYER: “Your competitor has a lower price than you.”

YOU: “I agree that a premium company like us is a higher investment because we put the most quality into our work. Can I ask you something? What corners do you think they are cutting to make their price so low?”

BUYER: “I’m not sure.”

YOU: “So what should we do?”

BUYER: “Go ahead with the top option.”

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There you have it. Different responses on your part will yield a different outcome. If you are struggling, any outcome is better than the one you are getting.  Don’t give up on trying different things to respond to your buyer. If you do, you will find that the ”Silver bullet” is you.