All too often, salespeople face a host of objections and delay tactics when they attempt to close a sale. It’s such a common occurrence that many sales training organizations teach courses on how to “handle” or “overcome” prospects’ stalls and objections.
The strategy for handling or overcoming them, however, usually comes down to a verbal wrestling match of sorts between the prospect and salesperson. The prospect states an objection; the salesperson responds with a clichéd statement; the prospect counters with another put-off; the salesperson offers another retort; and the contest continues until someone quits. The process is frustrating, time consuming, rarely productive, and completely unnecessary. ("Stop the Insanity of Prospecting")
David Sandler advised that if you’re going to “fight” with a prospect, fight up front (before you invest time developing a
proposal or presentation), not at the time when you’re trying to obtain a buying decision. The rationale for this strategy is twofold. First, if there’s a roadblock that will prevent the sale from closing within a timeframe consistent with your goals, or closing at all, it’s better to find out as soon as possible so you can redirect your efforts toward more viable opportunities. Second, if you wait until the end of the selling cycle, you’re less likely to maintain an objective perspective, and more likely to react emotionally to the prospect’s objections or demands as you envision the opportunity slipping from your grasp. And, reacting emotionally is rarely in your best interest.
By “fighting” up front, Sandler was referring to doing a rigorous job of qualifying the opportunity. That is, before you begin working on a presentation, make sure that you have thoroughly explored and addressed all of the elements that could give rise to an objection or a stall later in the process when you’re attempting to obtain a buying decision.
What should you “fight” about? Let history be your guide.
March 16, 2015 by Mark McGraw in Prospecting & Qualifying
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