In my continuing series on the Sandler Rules, let’s talk about Sandler rule number twenty-eight, “When under attack – fall back.”
In life, you are guaranteed to find yourself in situations where you’re under attack, whether rightfully or wrongfully.
So, what are you supposed to do in those situations?
When it comes to selling, Sandler recommends falling back.
This is for two reasons.
1. Because traditional salespeople don’t, and
2. Because it helps get to the real issue quicker.
Let’s examine these more in depth.
The first reason was because traditional salespeople do not fall back when under attack. Instead, they will rationalize, defend, and justify their position.
Here’s an example.
Prospect: “Your price is too high.”
Traditional Salesperson: “My price isn’t too high because you get these features and benefits when you buy my product.”
In the example above, you can see that nothing was really solved when the traditional salesperson defended their product. They didn’t find out why the prospect thought the price was too high and they probably didn’t convince the prospect to buy their product.
Now, here’s an example of how I would handle the situation.
Prospect: “Your price is too high.”
Me: “You know it might very well be too high. What were you expecting to pay?”
In my example, you can see how I fall back from their attack and instead step into the prospects shoes in an attempt to find a solution that works for both of us.
That brings us to reason number two.
The second reason is because falling back helps get to the real issue quicker.
When I fall back, I take the prospect’s thunder away; they no longer feel the need to be righteous or indignant. And that helps us to let go of some hostility and start working towards a solution.
And in many cases, the first thing the prospect tells you isn’t the real pain (you can learn more about that in Sandler rule #37, “All prospects lie, all the time”).
So instead of wasting time justifying, rationalizing, and defending what they say is the problem, instead spend time finding out what the real problem is.
When I am in these situations, I also give the prospect an opportunity to become a partner, and work with me towards resolving the problem. That makes them feel more included and both of us feel better when we come to the ultimate truth.
If you learn anything through this post, I hope it’s this: Don’t justify, rationalize, or defend your position to the prospect, instead fall back and work towards a solution as partners.
