If you are of a certain age, you are familiar with the song, Living Next Door to Alice by Smokie. For the uninitiated, the chorus explains the song: “Twenty-four years just waitin’ for a chance, to tell her how I feel and maybe get a second glance, now I’ve gotta get used to not living
To avoid high pressure selling, salespeople should take a page from the playbook of doctors when it comes to engaging with customers. Think back to your last visit to a doctor. As a percentage of the duration you took, what would you give for how long he took to prescribe? Better still, split the engagement
Embrace resistance from prospects as a norm in selling. It is the rare prospect who opens his arms wide to be sold to. Even when wearing the prospect’s hat, a salesperson acts in that precise fashion-he resists. Examples of sales resistance include the customer avoiding you, or declining your request for appointment. It can also be
“If they are not there by the time I arrive, cancel the contract!” So fumed the Operations Director of the shipping line that was also this travel agent’s largest client. The salesperson knew the consequences of losing this contract. He’d lose his job too. (A (non) fun fact. If you are a salesperson, there are
Have you ever met a complete stranger and you immediately hit it off? The conversation flowed effortlessly and so too the silence. Most probably you have; and no, assuming it was the opposite sex, it wasn’t love at first sight. No. You had just experienced raw, pure, unadulterated rapport. The dictionary defines rapport as, ‘a
Do you believe in the phrase the customer is always right? Don’t! Wake up! You have been dreaming. You have been misled. The truth is, he rarely is. The customer is not always right! The notion that he is, could be costing you sales, and worse, you (mis) leading him down the wrong path. Walk
It is ok to send your buyer to the competition. “But I could lose them for life. In fact, there was this one I referred to a competing bank because it had the service he wanted. He was so happy that to this day he still calls me for coffee. But that’s all I get.
“I’ve just had an accident, and…,” the client nonchalantly starts to explain to his insurance company. Suddenly, he is interrupted with a sincere and heartfelt, “Are you OK?” by the representative who answered the call. The client’s eyes light up; a smile cracks his hitherto sullen face; his face brightens and suddenly there’s warmth in
Even die-hard “We will never buy from you” customers or prospective customers (prospects) can be turned. This is what sales or service recovery plan means, and what Presidential aspirant William Ruto has demonstrated with this year’s election results. I mean, who would have imagined him getting any electoral affection in Mt. Kenya region? Only two
Change the customer’s mood, if it’s not receptive. If the customer is not in the right frame of mind for the meeting, switch gears and address this. Insisting on progressing with the pitch will likely backfire. If his mood won’t change, his mind won’t either. So change the customer’s mood and watch his mind follow.
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