I was working with a young sales rep the other day when he asked me what was the real secret to gaining control of the conversation when faced with objections from a prospect. I told him that it is planning for them in advance. This is just the opposite of how most reps approach prospecting calls. Instead of planning in advance, they wing it on every call and treat each objection as if it were a unique comment.
Isn’t what you have to say worth a minute of their time?
I heard it from a young rep the other day; cold calling just doesn’t work. He wondered if he should cold call or not. After listening to him go on for about five minutes, it became pretty clear that regardless of the arguments ranging from some surprisingly good points to some inane ones, to one degree or another they were all circling around reasons not to make his outgoing calls to potential prospects he had on his list.
“Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible; and then suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
—Francis of Assisi
The sales guru’s all say that if you take care of your pipeline, it will take care of you. But how do you do it? Here is one way to get started.
Do you ever struggle with the question of which business person will refer you or not? If you feel confused from time to time about which centers of influence, i.e., introducers, you should be spending time with, then this article might be for you. If your frustration level is rising because you know you’re wasting a lot of your time, it’s likely you need a stronger series of questions to help you filter through your groups.
Knowing how to unwind clients when the impulse to act precipitously overcomes them is crucial to guiding them through difficult times. I have a client who is a soccer fanatic. Although he is from Venezuela, he is a rabid fan of English soccer. I have spent an occasional afternoon watching…