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The element of surprise can be a tremendous asset. Take a minute
to think about the stereotypical sales person. Try to bond, give
a sales presentation, highlight features and benefits, handle
objections, and close the sale. Is there anything inherently
flawed with this process? No. It has worked for years and when
done ethically and efficiently, has resulted in many sales. The
real problem with traditional sales models isn’t necessarily
with the process itself, but how people often react to it. The
cat’s out of the bag, almost every person understands the
process. When salespeople follow it strictly, they seem
transparent to the prospect whom often feels, “They want to move
through the sale, get my money, and get me out the door.” Throw
in some opposites from what the prospect expects and it will
pull them out of their conditioned behavior and engage them in
the sales process.
The conditioned response to traditional sales should not be our
goal. In this model, sales people are met as a commodity and
with distrust. The prospect’s goal is to see through the
smokescreens, get to the bottom line, and haggle the price. That
isn’t a great model for salesperson or prospect, but it’s the
one that has developed over time. Since the prospect isn’t
likely to proactively break the model, it falls on the
salespeople. Here is a short list of doing the opposite of what
the prospect expects. Don’t make stereotypical small talk like
weather or family photo conversations. Ask questions of the
prospect and make sure they give full answers. If a prospect has
a problem or objection don’t rush to handle it, understand what
they are saying and see if it is a valid concern. Of course,
these are just the tip of the iceberg in a sea of options for
doing the unexpected.
As with anything this can be taken too far. Doing something
unexpected is good but something outlandish is never
appropriate. Riding a unicycle to a sales call is unexpected but
more importantly, it is ridiculous. Don’t get gimmicky in your
opposites. If doing the opposite of what the prospect expects is
making them uncomfortable or hurting your credibility, you’ve
taken it too far. The best way of looking at this is to avoid
getting into a rut. Having a sales process and a system that
works for you is paramount, but don’t let it make you appear
robotic. If you start doing what every other salesperson does,
prospects will recognize it and more often than not will have an
unfavorable reaction to you. Display some opposites of what the
prospect expects and you’ll find that they will engage in a more
meaningful way.
© Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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