Lovely little brainstorm, sparked up by the age-old sales principals of 'overcoming objections, vs the 21st Century Sales Pirate perspective of seeing an opportunity not a barrier....
Great idea #1 is that every objection raised is a chance to review and refine the pitch, or the value proposition. What have we not explained, that's causing this to be a concern?
Fab idea #2 is that each barrier raised creates the chance to ask a different kind of question, and really get to the bottom of what matters most to the customer, and why
Brilliant idea #3 tells us that sometimes people raise a false objection - because maybe the answer is actually 'no' but they don't feel comfortable saying that. What kind of a relationship are we building when people don't feel able to be honest with us?
Super idea #4 - Don't negotiate with yourself! If you truly know the value of your offer, and understand how that helps the customer achieve their goals, then ignore those little voices, and be confident with your position
A couple of consistent themes emerged
- Listen more. Hear and understand. Explore and discover. Build trust through sharing, and make sure you really know what matters to the customer before you jump into a sale.
- Pick the right customer, those who you can really add value for, and that want to work with you. Make it easy to say no if that's the real answer, and save everybody a whole bunch of time.
For me - the biggest takeaway has to be about learning and developing a process that mirrors the buying journey, so that we can pre-empt potential barriers. Stop selling, and start helping people to buy!
