A
newsletter article by
Steve Martinez
Where the Selling Process is working
Prospects, You Can't Make Them
Drink
if They Aren't Thirsty
By: Steve Martinez
Last week I was going over the sales process with a new salesperson.
It was an engaging conversation and as we went over each step of the
sales process. The analogy of how "we can lead a horse to water, but we
can't make it drink" came up.
Prospects can be exactly like the horse that didn't drink. Sure we can spend lots of time with them and show them plenty of food and water. Even so, they might not eat or drink of what we are offering them. Are they smarter than us? It's the same with some of our prospects; we spend plenty of time with them and yet they don't buy from us.
Remember, the salesperson I was talking with had just started so there was limited experience. The sales strategy was typical of new and inexperienced salespeople. They hoped that the more contacts they made, the luckier they expect to become. The belief that if they make enough contacts they will find someone who needs something was a great strategy years ago. The inadequate strategy is based on the old way of selling which worked for many years. Unfortunately, making as many presentations to business people as possible just won't lead to more sales. This strategy is similar to leading a horse to water.
Make Prospects THIRSTY . . . and They will Buy From You!
Why wouldn't the horse drink the water? It is a simple question with an easier answer. The horse didn't drink because the horse wasn't thirsty. The same is true with outside sales. Our job in sales isn't just to lead a horse to water. Our job is to make the horse thirsty. Making prospects thirsty is what we must focus on when we are dealing with sales opportunities.
The question then becomes how can we make our prospects and customers thirsty for our services? While it might be very true that there are a lot of companies and organizations that need our services, they really must want our services for it to make a difference. Remember, "Want" becomes the key word for us.
Our prospects and customers will become thirsty when they realize our services will solve a significant problem for them. The problem might be something they don't know exists. That's our goal. Our goal is to identify problems our customers have when it comes to our services. The only way I know of doing this is to ask questions and follow the sales process.
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