Browse Tag

sales resistance

When a Salesperson Should Stop Selling Value

SQC smallProblem:  Recently, I had a conversation with a sales engineer about his frustration with trying to convince a prospect the price of his equipment was worth the value.  His prospect is convinced that he is selling high quality, efficient equipment with a large ATBM (Average Time between Maintenance).  Though his prospect faces frequent interruptions due to breakdowns, the prospect continues to buy his competitors’ equipment because their prices are lower.  The prospect continues to tell him that he can’t justify the capital investment needed to buy his equipment. read more

Beware of What you Send Before Your Meeting

SQC smallProblem: Dennis was the VP of Sales for a medium sized application service provider and was concerned about the high number of appointment cancellations his reps were getting. As an example, he related something that had happened about ten days before. Apparently Richard, one of his reps, had made an appointment with a prospect that looked like they’d be a good fit for the company. A day after the appointment had been made; the prospect called back and asked that the rep send “some information” about the company prior to the meeting. Richard felt that this was a good sign of interest and complied, sending a fairly extensive package of information. It contained spec sheets on some of the products, a partial client list, company history, several recent news releases, etc. Then two days before the appointment was scheduled, the prospect called and canceled, saying that they had looked over the material that was sent, and they felt that a meeting would not be necessary. This, explained Dennis, happened too often. read more

Why Should They Give You an Appointment?

SQC smallProblem:  One of the biggest challenges that salespeople face is getting appointments.  People are constantly bombarded by marketing messages via the media enticing them to purchase.  Prospects receive daily calls from salespeople who want to see them, so it’s no wonder that they treat most requests for meetings with skepticism and suspicion.  This unfortunate fact of life makes the salesperson’s job that much more difficult. read more

How Good Is Your Sales B.S.? (Belief System)

SQC smallProblem:  Jeremy had been selling for 15 years and was feeling a little frustrated lately.  He honestly evaluated his job in sales and figured out that there were some things about selling that he really hated.  Top on the list were: chasing prospects who don’t return calls, wasting time doing proposals and presentations for prospects who shop around, always having to work hard to convince prospects, dealing with resistance, and handling constant rejection. read more

How To Get a Stalled Proposal Moving

SQC smallProblem:  Casey had made a presentation to a large shipyard that had been awarded the contract to build one of the Navy’s newest amphibious ships.  This was an important deal for his company, a seven-figure sale over the next two years.  Casey knew that he was the front-runner and, if the company did not accept his proposal, another six months would be wasted because the engineering drawings would have to be revised.  He knew that this presented an unacceptable situation for the shipyard.  Nevertheless, the buyer was stalling him on making a decision.  Casey had tried everything to get them to make a move, but to no avail.  And to make matters worse, he was getting the feeling that if he continued to be assertive in pushing for a decision, he might hurt the rapport that he’d worked so hard to establish.  Have you ever been in this position? read more

Hearing “NO” From Prospects is a Good Thing

SQC smallProblem:  One of the most common requests we get is for time management training.  It seems there just aren’t enough hours in the day for most salespeople.  Companies spend big bucks for smart phones and other electronic devices so salespeople can stay in touch and on customer relations management programs to make them more efficient.  Training programs are conducted to help them evaluate areas where they are wasting time and provide solutions.  Yet they still have time management issues. read more

Show Me the Money

SQC smallProblem: Why is money so difficult to discuss? Salespeople frequently hear from prospects that budget is “no problem” at the beginning of the sales call.  However, once things start to get close, the story often changes.  We’re told that we “have to sharpen our pencil,” “get more competitive,” or offer “additional discounts.”  Yet, once the sale is won, price seems to evaporate as an issue and pressure is put on the vendor to improve quality or service.  Often we hear from salespeople that money is the number one issue in getting and keeping the business.  “We need to have more competitive pricing, better discount structures or we just can’t compete.”  Sound familiar? read more