Rule #39 When all else fails, become a consultant.
If you’ve spent any time in our training room, you’ll hear us say that “buyers generally do not know how to buy from us.” We truly believe this, and in Sandler we work to create a different experience for the buyer because of this fact.
When we do this, we are working to properly qualify the client, which means we are moving towards a “yes,” “no,” or a “clear future.” Getting a “no” is a victory. This means that we are simply not a fit and we can now move on to find someone who will engage with us.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we get a “no” that makes us scratch our heads. We know we are on the right path, but we get the “no” anyway. It comes to us out of ambivalence, uncertainty, or from a place that we know is a mistake. Perhaps there’s some sort of misunderstanding or mis-information that the buyer has received along the way. This presents a unique opportunity.
Before we get to the unique opportunity, I want to stress the importance of following a system. If there’s nothing else that I’ve learned in Sandler, I’ve learned that having a system allows us to follow a defined process from beginning to end. It allows us to understand in real time where we may have missed things and where we are on track.
Rule #39 is not a go-to for the hard close. I would consider Rule #39 an “advanced move” because if you have not done a great job of following your process along the way, you’ll be in real trouble. Self and situational awareness are the keys here!
Here’s the unique opportunity. When you are faced with a “no” and you are certain that the prospect is making a mistake for whatever reason, then do the following:
- Acknowledge to the prospect that the sales call is over. Believe it or not, this brings down the sales “wall” that is often there regardless of how well you execute bonding & rapport. It could sound like this: “Jim, now that my sales call is over, can I ask you a question?” They almost always oblige.
- Gain commitment to speak to them as if you are a paid consultant or trusted advisor to them. This is important! “Jim, I’d like to speak directly as if I’m a paid advisor to you and your business…would this be okay?”
- Summarize and validate your interactions up to this point. “Jim, is it fair to say that we’ve had a series of robust conversations during this process and that I should’ve learned a thing or two about your business?”
- Take a deep breath and let them know where they are going or have gone wrong. “Jim, if I were a consultant or paid advisor to your business, I’d tell you that you are making a mistake here… let me share why…”.
As I referenced earlier, this is not an “every call” move. It is reserved for those that tell us ‘no’ and we know they are wrong. We know it’s a mistake. It won’t work each time, but about 30% of the time, it will turn that “no” into a client.
