How to Avoid Being a Pushy Salesperson

One of the biggest challenges salespeople face is understanding how to be assertive and persistent with customers and prospects without coming off over-bearing or too pushy. For those who've been in sales for some time, we can all think of several examples where we've been on both ends of the spectrum.

As salespeople, our job is to make sure prospects and customers hear our message and understand our offering. It's also our job to push the sales cycle forward, often requiring a continuum of interactions and meetings.

However, if we do that too strongly or quickly, the customer will be turned off, and the deal can be dead.

On the flip side, playing it too safe, passive, or timid can hurt our chances even more.

So how do you toe the line, ensure you're pleasantly persistent, and not be too pushy or overbearing? Follow these tips:

1. Do your research

Spend some time researching your customer and his or her business BEFORE you ever reach out to them. Google them and their business, look up their social media profiles, and even talk to mutual friends you may share.

2. Connect personally

If you've done your research, you should be able to build some solid rapport and common ground, both on the phone and in person. Often times, a personal connection or common interest can be what lands you the initial meeting in the first place. Hint: if your kids happen to be involved in the same activity, that's an even bigger win.

3. Uncover the buyer's motive and timeline

Want to open the door to have a direct conversation with your prospect, especially when it comes time to make recommendations? Start with understanding their situation, what's keeping them up at night, how that will impact them and their business if they don't fix it, what their plans are, and also the timeline. If you take the time to understand their needs, it will be much easier to offer them a solution that makes sense.

If at this point, or any other time in the process, your product or service will not help them, respect their time and yours, and tell them. If it's not a good fit, that's fine. But you need to know when to make that decision and move on.

4. Think and speak in terms of helping the prospect

This is pretty self explanatory. If your prospect doesn't feel that you are 100% there to help them, you will never have the trust necessary for them to do business with you.

5. Handle any concerns throughout the presentation

Any concern, otherwise called an objection, raised by the customer throughout the presentation must be addressed immediately. Do not move on until you've clarified with your prospect if you've satisfied their concern.

Over time, you'll notice that the same few concerns arise during most presentations. As you notice this, make adjustments to your presentation to handle those concerns PROACTIVELY. If you can do this, you will build a better connection with your prospects. They'll think you're reading their mind through he whole presentation!

6. Deliver every proposal in person

This is one of the oldest blow-off tricks in the book. It can also catch you off-guard, if you're not prepared. If you didn't handle this properly in the meeting leading up to the proposal, and your customer wants you to send it to her, let her know there are nuances of the proposal that need to be explained in person, and that your company does not send proposal electronically, for that reason.

If they're really interested in what you have, they'll schedule the appointment. If they're not, then you'll get a different answer and have your time saved.

7. Master the pause

When it comes to key places in the sales cycle, especially in gaining commitment to moving forward, the best thing a sales person can do is ask the question, and wait until the prospect answers. And when he or she does, wait some more.

Let the uncomfortable silence sink in.

What will happen is the customer will break the silence first, and if the answer is no, now the real objection will come out. Acknowledge the concern, and then ask a clarifying question to ensure you are interpreting the concern correctly. Master this skill, and your sales career will never be the same.

8. Define - and follow through on - next steps

Don't ever leave an appointment without an appointment. Usually, it's easier said than done.

In my experience, the best way to ensure you have another meeting is to ask the prospect what the next step is. Then, ask what each of you owes to the other during that meeting. Make sure the prospect has as much skin in the game as you do. That will increase the likelihood of the next meeting occurring.

9. Connect online

People want to buy from people. So let your prospects and customers see the person you are away from work. After your meeting, send him or her and thank you email, and then send them a friend request on whichever social media platform you use. For most, it's probably Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

Often times, there's a fine line between being a pushy, over-bearing salesperson, and someone who genuinely, pleasantly, and persistently wants to help a prospect out.

Follow the steps outlined above and you'll more than likely be classified as the latter.

What are your best strategies for being pleasantly persistent? Comments are always welcome.

Bret Barrie was a Hall-of-Fame and Presidents’ Club-winning sales rep and is a top-producing sales leader in the medical device industry. He is also the author of The Selling Edge: How to Reach the Top in any Sales Industry. A baseball enthusiast and fitness junkie, he is happily married with three children and lives in the greater Sacramento area. For more information, visit bretbarrie.com.