Have you ever reached the "end of the line" with a prospect - and had no idea what to do to move forward?
- Use the "last resort" question.
- "Can I stop being a salesperson?"
You have done everything you possibly can, your techniques have been impeccable, but your prospect, for some reason, still won't buy. You have made several "dummy" moves (See Rule #17, The Professional Does What He Did As a Dummy - On Purpose), and you're still stuck.
Here is a "last resort" question that will open up some prospects:
You: "Can I stop being a salesperson for a minute and be a consultant?
Most prospects will say "OK." (In the unlikely event that the prospect doesn't say that, you can respond with a final "dummy" question. For instance: "Are we done?")
When the prospect does say "OK" to the idea of your becoming a consultant for a moment, which is the far more likely outcome, you have an opportunity: You must now "hit" the person as hard as you can with a picture of what will happen if they don't buy your product or service.
Here's what you say - as a consultant.
You: "Here's my problem. I believe that what I've shown you makes sense for you. It's obvious to me that you don't agree. So, how do I tell you, without you becoming upset, that you're not only hurting your production numbers, but also hurting your bottom line by continuing to handle your inventory with your current system?"
Isn't this what consultants are paid to do - give objective, hard-hitting advice? If your prospect had bought your product, wouldn't you actually move into a consultant role after it is delivered?
As you proceed along these lines, you should be ready to share the same insights and expertise that a consultant would. The primary question is not how much knowledge you should be ready to "give away," but rather which concepts you are willing to share as you make your case. Whenever you step into "consultant mode," your goal should be to give away concepts, and then sell the implementation of those concepts!
For instance, a concept for reducing handling and warehousing costs is to coordinate the inventorying and ordering processes of materials with projected production schedules to achieve just-in-time deliveries. Implementation would be the IT services and software that ties the production, inventory, and ordering systems together. At this stage of your relationship, your goal should not be to work out a plan for implementation. Clearly, the relationship is not there yet.
When you put on your "consultant's hat," build your advice around the concepts that connect to your value. Your goal is to plant the seed - the concept - and provide information to fire the prospect's imagination - which allows the seed to grow. Then, you sell the implementation. The more a prospect understands the concepts on which your product or service is based and understands how those concepts relate to his problems, concerns, challenges, or goals, the more inclined he will be to buy your implementation. Think of your ideas and product concepts as the compelling review that makes the reader want to buy the book, or the exciting movie trailer that drives the viewer to the box office. When you help the prospect view the implementation of your product or service as the solution to his problems or the pathway for the achievement of his goals, you've taken a big step toward following the much-discussed, but often ignored, consultative selling approach.
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