
When NO, Doesn't Mean NO in Sales!
By Steve Martinez
When
a prospect says NO, don't jump to the conclusion it means never.
The answer could mean "Not Now"! It does mean that you should back off
and evaluate the situation carefully. The prospect could be telling you
they are not ready right now. When a salesperson accepts the NO as a
permanent decision and never contacts the prospect again, it is a
mistake.
Rejection is a common occurrence in outside sales and we should
accept it gracefully when it happens. If we were a child at the checkout
counter of a grocery store and asked a parent for a candy bar, would it
be the last time we asked if they said no? We would simply accept no as
a defeat of the moment, not as a permanent answer. When the next
occasion developed, we would probably ask again and again, right.
Now, I 'm not suggesting that we take the child at the counter
attitude and close our prospects each time, over and over again. What I
am suggesting is that perhaps the prospect was not ready to say yes.
Maybe they didn't have enough money. Maybe they weren't ready for our
product or service yet. Maybe they didn't understand how our product
could make a difference. Maybe they hadn't heard enough about us quite
yet.
Yes! I'm Ready Now! The important thing is to be around when
the prospect comes around. If we prepared our sales research before
closing, we would know if the prospect needed our product or service
before we pitched it. If this is the case, why would we accept defeat so
quickly and not be around when the prospect comes around.
Salespeople lose 60% of their potential business because they lose
track of time. Time when a suspected prospect ripens to the point they
need our services. If we don't have a system in place that keeps us in
contact with prospects that aren't ready, we lose deals to competition
simply because we aren't around. Do you have a sales system that pro
actively contacts prospects that aren't ready? If you do, you will get
calls from these prospects telling you, I'm ready now!
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Steve Martinez
President
Selling Magic, LLC
Toll free (877) 762-4423
Local call (951) 277-0080
www.sellingmagic.com
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