TELL YOUR CUSTOMER NO!
Can you tell your customer or prospect no?
You better.
When a prospect says; “Just send a proposal.” But won’t give you any information about their company, what they are looking for, or what they want to accomplish. Say “No!”
When a customer asks you to reduce the price, but won’t have a discussion about why they want a lower price, the value they’ve received, or even offer what they’d like to pay. Say “No!”
If a prospect wants a demo, but won’t spend the time to do a discovery call. Say “No!”
Here’s the deal. Customers and prospects can be demanding, They will ask for a lot, but it doesn’t mean you have to say yes every time.
Part of sales is telling your customer and prospects no. You’re not the customer’s bitch. You need to learn to say no.
The key is to position yourself as a peer and build a selling approach that increases your clients' and customers' ability to be successful. It’s not to be their gopher, their yes person or a pushover.
Some customers and clients see themselves in the driver’s seat and feel it’s their job to beat up salespeople. It makes them feel as if they are getting a good deal or taking control. Unfortunately, these people are misinformed and you don’t have to be the victim of their ignorance.
Good selling is helping. When people WON’T let you help them. Tell them “No!”, and move on.
Learn to say No! It’s one of the best tools salespeople have; if they learn how to use it.
Office Manager at Ceder Bil och Transport AB
9 年I'm a big fan of NO saying sales professionals! A true sales pro makes the customer say yes and commits to the product/service offering and company values with a NO and walk away if not coherent.
Account management expertise and customer-first mindset
9 年Unless you're in "we'll match any Internet price" business, you have to keep value of your service high. In our day and age when almost everything becomes a commodity, it's very tempting to give in and abide to client's demands. I am not advocating entirely against offering a discount, however it should be not the very first question that the prospect is asking - "Hi, what's your name? - Jacob?... Can I get a discount?..."
Marketing and Product Leader. Creative problem solver and energetic team builder.
9 年The rest of your organization will appreciate that too. Marketers, proposal writers, product managers, pricing specialists - everybody gets really tired of doing work only because "well, that's what my customer wants" without any sense that the salesperson is managing their customer at all. Save it for when it's really going to make a difference.
Helping Drive Demand At High-Growth Companies Of All Sizes!
9 年Amen!
Founder, MEDDIC Academy | Learner | Entrepreneur with 2 exits | Best Selling Author | International Executive | Global Growth Educator
9 年Great! I would even recommend the "Say No" technique, one step further as a closing tool, when you have already provided the proof that your solution is good and replied to several questions, it's time to stop the efforts and switch to the closing phase by a simple "No".