Have you ever lost a sale because of a problem you could have dealt with earlier on in the process?
- If you know it's going to blow up in your face...defuse it now.
- Figure out the problem sooner rather than later.
- Don't wait for the prospect to bring it up.
Sometimes, salespeople stress themselves out for no good reason. They sit around waiting for bombs to go off. Don't be one of those salespeople!
If you have the possibility of a recurring problem with your product or service, don't expose yourself to the stress of wondering when and how your prospect is going to lower the boom. Bring the issue up before the prospect does. Defuse it.
Here's and example.
You: One of the problems we may have, Harry, assuming that we decide to do business together, is this. We don't provide local service. Is that going to be a problem?
Prospect: Yes, I'm afraid it may be.
You: Want to talk about that problem?
Prospect: Yes
You: You start.
Bringing the problem up yourself makes it easier for you to handle the potential objection, rather than having to handle the problem while you're on the "defensive." This strategy can be applied to virtually any area of your sale (or post-sale) where you might reasonably expect to encounter a problem or disagreement: Financing, creditworthiness, delivery times, inventory status - you name it. If you experience tells you that there's the real possibility of you and the prospect experiencing a bump in the road, you should find a way to talk about it ahead of time.
Don't let the fear of "looking bad" or "loosing momentum" with the prospect stop you from addressing the most important issues. You will, in fact, only look more professional in the prospect's eyes once you make it clear that you are willing to look around corners on his behalf. And if the obstacle is in fact going to keep the two of you from doing business together, you're better off knowing that now.
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