The Ultimate Book of Sales Techniques by Stephan Schiffman

Author:Stephan Schiffman [Schiffman, Stephan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781440550256
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2013-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Sales Technique #43

Raise the Hard Issues Yourself

When I am trying to move closer to the top of that pyramid, trying to expand my relationship with a customer, I make a habit of identifying what I think the most difficult challenge in the relationship is going to be—and then bringing that problem up on my own, rather than waiting for the other person to do it.

You read right. What I do is try to put myself in the shoes of the other person, figure out what he or she would most likely object to in what I am proposing, and then talk about it first. A significant part of the art of selling is being more concerned about something than the prospect or customer is. This is exactly what you should do when you have a sales initiative that you feel could conceivably carry a problem for the person you are talking to. Your goals should be to say something along the following lines:

“I’ll tell you the truth. I am actually kind of concerned about the price. I am not sure it is right. What do you think?”

“To be honest with you, I am a little concerned that the program might not be focused on the most important topics for your people. What do you think?”

“Here is where it fits together, but I have to be honest with you, I am a little bit concerned about how the schedule could work. I do not know if it is going to work for your organization.”

“Here is the piece that we are not certain about. We are trying to find out whether or not this payment plan is right for your family. Help me out. What do you think are the pros and cons?”

“Let me tell you what is keeping me up at night. I think I understand what you are trying to accomplish here, and I think we can do it within your timeline. But I am not entirely sure that it is something you feel comfortable trying to share internally with your people, and I want to be sure that I get it right—help me out.”

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