She shared that while this is true, lots of reps push their way in, with promises of big benefits in return for "just a few minutes of your time." And then, after hearing the "pitch" my friend being satisfied that she doesn’t need their stuff, the sales rep doesn’t allow for the possibility that she could tell them "no", and this is when the pressure builds.
In this home of the brave, it seems silly that hard-nosed sales people crumple under the possibility getting a "no" from just one out of maybe hundreds of prospects. Fear of rejection is a big factor for most business people, a factor that leads them to do things against their prospect’s and their own interests, but why?"No" Can’t Be Better Than "Maybe", Or Can It?
Most people will say that they hate getting no's. Ideally, we all want to hear yes's from our clients, but its important to recognize that a "no" is the next best answer. Answers like "maybe", "I want to think it over", "call me next week" are the least productive of all. These responses give hope, but don't mean a prospect has any interest in doing business. Amateur business people will continue to work these accounts at the expense of working with real opportunities, burning up their most precious sales commodity, time.When a prospect has a lot of work done for them like a "Needs Analysis" or a detailed proposal, they can feel guilty saying "no" even if they don’t want to buy, because they fear confrontation and don’t want to hurt the salesperson's feelings. When a salesperson gets wise and realizes that "no" is an acceptable answer, they'll stop wasting time with "suspects" who really weren't going to buy anyway. They get "suspects" to tell you "no" so they have more time to work with prospects who turn their time into money. They'll take a "No" over a "Maybe", ANYDAY!
Prospects Don't Lie to Salespeople, Or Do They?Yes! That doesn't mean they're bad people. In fact, most people believe it's okay to be less than honest with a salesperson. Have you always told the truth to a salesperson? At dinnertime when the mortgage company sales person calls, what do you say? "I probably could use a better rate, but I don't know you, and am afraid that you are going to rip me off, so no thank you"; Probably not. I'm guessing that if you are like most people, you answer something like: "I just refinanced... thanks!!" Most of us are also dishonest when we are in a department store seeking an item and a salesperson says "may I help you ", rather than allowing the salesperson to get involved in your search, we will likely say; "just looking", and then often a few moments later follow with; "you know, actually I am looking for your sale on" Our first impulse is to play our cards close to the vest, so why should we be surprised when our prospects aren't completely forthcoming with us?
Like us, prospects simply are afraid that they will be talked into a product or service they really don't want or can't afford. And just like us, for the most part, prospects want to buy; they just don't want to be sold. The professional salesperson's challenge is to ask the right questions with no-pressure to get to the truth, and at the same time, help the prospect discover for themselves the reasons to do business with the salesperson. When prospects don't feel pressured, they don't feel the need to keep their defenses up, and are more likely to tell the truth.No is OK Because Selling is an Inherently "Low Odds" Situation
In most markets, there are at least 5 or 6 alternatives for consumers to choose from, in this case the odds for someone to sell their product; all else being equal, are 1 in 5 or 6! Considering this, it's easy to understand why gaining a "no" from a prospect with a minimum of effort can be a good, second-best outcome. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't go after a piece of business when there are 4 or 5 competitors, it simply means that you should find out if you have any hope of doing business before you put any time, effort and energy into trying to "sell" them. To do this, start by asking them to be comfortable telling you "NO", then ask lots of questions to find out under what circumstances would they buy, and if the answers don't fit let them tell you "NO". Then you can say "NEXT" and move on to someone who might really want to buy something. Do yourself and your prospect a favor, tell them to just say "NO".