How to Blow Rapport Really Fast
Do you have 5, 10, or 20 years of sales experience?
Or do you have 1 year of sales experience 5, 10, or 20 times?
Many salespeople never advance beyond ancient outdated sales lines like "If
I do this for you, will you give me the order?" Or "What do I have to do to
get your business?"
Lines like these are why salespeople have a reputation near lawyers in our
society.
Everyone learns lines like these in sales at some time or another. Often
it comes from a senior salesperson who is described as "aggressive" or as
"a closer". Because this guy brings in a lot of business, other's think that
they should model his every habit. People say that you would sell more if
you acted like this person. Yet secretly, most people abhor this guy.
Here's a hint. If the people in your sales organization abhorred this guy,
then so did most of his prospects and customers. This guy sold a lot by using
the law of averages. He sold not because of his ancient sales lines, but in
spite of them. He worked 70 hours a week, and one of his favorite sayings
was "its a numbers game".
Now you do have to get your message out to a large number of people. However,
if you are annoying them in the process, you are wasting many great sales
opportunities.
Lines such as these quickly ruin the rapport you have worked so on hard building
up to this point. You brand yourself as a mere salesperson hawking a product
focused only on your sales commission, rather than a business partner with
concern for your prospect's business.
So what should you do instead?
Learn how to uncover problems and desires that you can help the prospect
eliminate, solve, achieve or realize. Begin by seeing yourself as one who
helps businesses and people with your products, ideas, and services.
You do this by asking questions. Ask questions to uncover problems and desires.
If you cannot find something that you can help with - move on to a new prospect.
Ask questions as to what the consequences will be of not doing anything towards
eliminating their problem or not pursuing what they want. Use questions to
help them see the consequences of buying your competitor's inferior product
or service.
Helping your prospects to experience the consequences of various courses
of action (or inaction) will stimulate the prospect into wanting to move the
sale along. Done properly, this results in the prospect asking you how to
speed up and complete the sale so that he can get on with solving his problem
or realizing his goal.