When it comes to closing, there’s one very good reason why the "oldest
tricks in the book" almost never work: because outdated closing
techniques are, by definition, out of date! Everyone – including your
prospects – has heard of them, seen them in action or been subjected
to them a hundred times over. And as a professional salesperson, the
last thing you want your client to think is that you’re just trotting
out "Sales Nugget #5," instead of getting to know them,
their needs, and what your product can do to help meet them.
The last grey car on Earth
If you need proof, just consider the following experience I had last
summer.
My husband and I were out shopping for a new car. We found one we
liked, and the sales rep was friendly, helpful and treated us with
respect. That is, until after the test drive, when he leaned over
the hood of the car, looked me straight in the eye, and said:
Salesman: "You know, that’s a really popular car you’re
looking at. I sold 50 of them last year. This steel grey one you
like is hot. I have 2 green ones in the back, but I know you don’t
like green. I can guarantee that if you don’t put a deposit on this
last grey one today, this car won’t be here on Monday."
I normally would have either laughed or just walked away, but I was
so shocked at his approach that I couldn’t resist firing back:
Me: "Excuse me, but are you using the "impending
doom close" on me?"
Salesman (flustered): "Excuse me?"
Me: "You know, the "impending doom close."
It’s the old closing tactic where you tell me that if I don’t take
action today, there’s a risk that the opportunity won’t be available
tomorrow. Are you actually trying to tell me that the factory is
never going to make another grey car again?"
Needless to say, he lost the sale. Why didn’t we buy from this salesman?
Because, to quote my one-year-old niece, the sales techniques he used
were "so old I fell off my dinosaur." In fact, his sales
techniques were really just sales tricks, and the last thing we were
looking for when we walked into that dealership was to be manipulated
or forced into buying before we were ready.
The usual suspects
As a general rule, if you’re using a sales technique that has a cute
nickname, or a starring role in movies like Tin Men, Tommy Boy, Glengarry
Glen Ross or the Boiler Room, then you need to stop using it. Immediately.
After all, what do you think the odds are that these movies are modeled
after good, solid sales behavior? Where would be the fun in that?
Even worse, chances are that your prospect has seen these tricks before,
too, and most likely has an effective process for countering all of
them.
Just a few of the more common outdated sales techniques include:
| – The Ben Franklin Close – The Wimpy Burger – Good Cop – Bad Cop |
– The Puppy Dog Close – The Negative Reverse – The 4 Doors |
– The Impending Doom Close – The Silent Treatment – The Assumptive Sandwich |
Other than the fancy names, what do these techniques all have in
common? They’re all trying to trick the prospect into buying something,
instead of trying to build a relationship in which both parties will
benefit. In other words, they’re manipulative, they’re lazy, and in
the final analysis, they just don’t work.
Building true customer confidence – not con games
So what can we do instead? Remember, people buy from people they like
and trust. So let’s revisit the four key principles of building high
trust relationships:.
1. You can’t sell to everyone.
This is a simple fact, but it’s also often overlooked. In every market,
there will always be at least one person who will not, for whatever
reason, want to buy from you. In fact, if – as we said in the last
issue – an average sales rep will close one in three qualified leads,
then statistically speaking, 70% of all prospects won’t buy from you.
Don’t be afraid of this fact. Instead, take it with you into every
sale. Be up front with your customers. Let them know that you’re not
there to waste their time or sell them something they don’t want,
and that it’s okay for them to choose not to proceed. The truth is,
the more chances you given them to say no, the more often they will
say yes. Plus, your refreshingly honest approach will help break down
the artificial barriers your prospect puts up to protect themselves
from traditional sales people.
The result? You’ll be able to have an open, honest sales dialogue
and exchange of ideas. Remember – sales is a conversation between
two people, in which you discuss how to make decisions that are in
the best interests of both of you.
2. Your customers are more interested in you then they are in
the products and services you’re selling.
Your prospects aren’t looking for "sales people." They’re
looking for people they can trust to advise and influence them on
important decisions. True influence happens when your prospect trusts
you enough to believe your idea or buy your product because they want
to, not because they were forced, tricked or manipulated into it.
Ultimately, there is no influence without trust. To build that trust,
try the following three ways to improve rapport between you and your
clients:
- Make sure your body language, words and tone all match. When
was the last time you believed someone who told you that they’d
be happy to help you, but said it through gritted teeth and with
their arms crossed tightly over their chest? Your body language
will always give you away, so if you’re feeling angry, frustrated
or just plain down, check your body language – and then check it
at the door. - Match the atmosphere, spirit and posture of your prospect. Stand,
walk or sit like them. Pay attention to how they move or remain
still. Then gradually adapt your positions to mirror theirs. - Match your customer’s tone of voice. Vocal tone is comprised of
pitch (high or low), speed (fast or slow) and volume (loud or soft).
If those around you are speaking in quieter or more boisterous tones,
do the same.
3. What you do and say in the first minute will determine whether
or not a prospect will trust you.
It’s a cliché, but all the research proves that it’s true nonetheless:
you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So make
sure your first impression is a good one.The biggest mistake I see
in the field these days is sales people trying to build rapport the
old fashioned way – by picking something in the prospect’s office
to bond on. Don’t ask about the family photos, the painting of the
fishing boat on the wall or the hockey trophy in the display case,
especially on the first visit to someone’s office. This is getting
too personal too soon.
Sure, these comments might be harmless, but then again, but they
could also lead to a disastrous mistake. Like wasting your entire
meeting discussing their love of sailing. Or complimenting their son
by calling him "a beautiful little girl."
Don’t believe anything like that could really happen to you? Neither
did I. But if you email me, I’ll be happy to give you all the gory
details of how yours truly succeeded in ruining two brilliant prospects
by committing precisely these fatal errors.
4. Decision makers will buy what they need from sales people who
understand what they want.
Even if we can’t provide a solution, if we show that we genuinely
understand what our prospects want, and recognize it as having value,
then they will be far more likely to trust us and, eventually, to
buy from us.
How do we find out what they want? Just ask! But ask questions that
get beyond their needs. For example, try some of the following:
- What about x is valuable to you?
- What have you tried before? How did that work out?
- Why is this problem so important for you to fix?
- What happens if you do nothing? What happens if this problem continues?
- What have you tried so far?
Once you have their answers, try using their own words in your comments
or questions. This will signal to your prospect that you understand
them, encouraging them to trust you more.
Confessions of a sales fanatic
If it seems like I’m a bit fanatical about the dangers of outdated
selling techniques, you’re right. I am. Many have called me a non-conformist
or contrarian in the area of sales, and I consider that to be a compliment.
Why? Over the last 30 years, our prospects have evolved to become
smarter and savvier. Why can’t we?
See you next month, when we tackle "average sales mistake"
#3: not accepting objections as buying signals!