No one can deny that the best sales professionals are positive, optimistic people.
However, positivity unchecked can hurt your closing rate!
I began my sales career as an employee in a pet store, my first job as a teenager. The high-end products in my store were salt-water aquariums and all the supplies that went with them. We were incentivized to sell those.
I began trying to overcome the customers’ negativity by my positivity. However, I quickly discovered that method of sales generated a lot of resistance.
When I inserted some honesty and negativity into my presentation, the close was much easier.
I began asking questions about the customers’ desired location for their aquarium. I would say, “You don’t want to have an aquarium that’s too big for that location. Let’s make sure you get the best aquarium for your needs.”
Also, I might discourage the purchase of the bigger and more expensive filtration system. I’d say, “I don’t want you to waste your money. This $150 system will be fine for your needs.”
Consumers appreciate having options. There are times to step back and let them decide for themselves.
Some of these principles today are credited to Oren Klaff in his book
Flip the Script. I mentioned his book in a recent, previous episode. A good read!
Consumers and/or prospects ARE looking for negatives. You can count on that.
By presenting possible negatives, you can guide their negative thoughts. A presentation full of only positives generates questions such as, “What am I missing? What are the risks?”
The goal is to guide prospects to think the negative WITH you as you move forward.
Guide the feeling toward working through the pros and cons together rather than being antagonistic toward each other.
In payment processing, consider these two statements:
1. “If I can’t offer enough value and save you lots of money, you’re not going to be interested anyway; are you?”
2. “If I can save you lots of money, you’re going to be interested; aren’t you?”
The first statement puts you on the same page with your prospects as they agree with you. However, the second statement creates antagonism when the prospect warily answers, “Maybe.”
After using that first statement, you can proceed by saying, “You’ve got nothing to lose. All we need is a statement and some time to see if I CAN save you money.”
So, take time to think through the negative implications.
Find the little negatives you can mention to encourage trust from prospects. Help them realize there is an option which navigates around the negative.