Setting Expectations For a Sales Decision

Throw away those white shoes! Stop trying to be like-able and appeasing. If you want to increase your sales closing rate, learn the sales techniques of the consultative sale. After all, it’s all about reaching a successful close that sticks and nullifies any buyer’s remorse.So what are consultative selling techniques? Many buyers expect a sales person to be ingratiating and friendly….because if they like the sales person they might buy the product or service. This is what we call the “white shoe” style of selling. It’s based on the premise that the client wants to help the sales person and not so much themselves; a very weak premise. If there is no sale, then it becomes a personal rejection of the sales person. Most people deeply fear rejection in any form.Successful sales professionals know that it’s not about being like-able but is about identifying the need(s) and want(s) of the buyer. If the buyer sees no need for what you have to sell, chances are highly probable that you are wasting your time trying to make what your selling become a need. So, the first step in the consultative sale is to present yourself as an objective expert on how-if the buyer has the need-your product or service might represent a solution. An effective consultative sale will result in the client asking for the sale.Building UrgencyKey to closing any sale is building urgency to make a decision. You do this by establishing upfront in the presentation that the buyer will give you a yes or no at the end of the process-either it makes sense or it doesn’t. Assure them that it won’t hurt your feelings if they say no. Rejection is no problem for you. The facts will make any decision apparent.By not setting the expectation of a decision at the end of the presentation not only loses the opportunity to get a decision and save wasted return visits with the “hope” for an eventual sale, but also the sales person loses the opportunity to take control and bust the view that the sales person is there to do a song and dance. If you come in with a no nonsense, needs assessment approach-and mean it-you position yourself as an adviser and not a sales person.A consultative sale depends on presenting a logical reason to buy. However, the buyer must first agree that they have the need (problem) and that they want to satisfy the need. It then becomes a matter of presenting facts that logically support what you have to offer. If done properly, at the end of the presentation, the buyer will ask for the sale: “So, what’s next?” or “What can you do for me?When a client asks for help or the next step in the process (closing signals), it demonstrates the following:* You are not a salesperson in the traditional sense. Your job was to help facilitate a decision. You presented yourself as an expert on the subject-not a sales person.* You help the buyer admit that there is a problem or need and that it should be resolved now.* You set the ground rules that if your presentation makes sense, the buyer will give you a yes or no. Either it makes sense or not.You kept the sales person out of the room. It was all dispassionate logic.You showed that your main interest was helping the client meet their needs-not yours. If your product can meet the need, so much the better. But the decision was totally in the hands of the buyer.* The buyer was under your control from the time you set the expectation of giving you a decision.Always have your pen and contract at the ready when they ask for your help.