‘I do not have any reference accounts, what do you recommend?’ Willy Loman
Willy, this is a fantastic question because my favorite way to sell is ‘Reference Selling.’ Where your clients talk about how great you and your solutions are, versus you as a sales person telling them how great it will buy from you. References also assist with my preferred objection handling option Triple F, or Feel, Felt, Found. If you have quality references and you understand how they are using your solutions, you can use Triple F in any scenario. ‘Yes, Mr. Prospect, I understand how you feel, our client felt the same way, and they found with our solution there challenges were resolved using our solution. ‘
I will start with my usual round of questions: Is your product or service new? How long has your company been in business? If your product or services is new, can you use references on the quality of your company? Does your company have references outside of your territory? How competitive is your market? What type of references do you need: senior manager, end user, financial / ROI, etc.?
My recommendation is be proactive in both the short term and long term. Don’t hope your prospect don’t ask for references as Rick Page, wrote in his book ‘Hope Is Not a Strategy: The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale.’ In the short term, directly address why you don’t have reference with your prospects, what your company is doing, and why you need them as a client:
- ‘We are a start up and are looking for progressive thinkers, like yourself, to work with us.’
- ‘We are launching a new service and are looking for early adopters. Are you interested?’
- ‘As an established vendor, we recently revamped our support team to better serve our clients. At this stage in the transition, my recommendation is to talk to our VP of Support to review our plans for supporting you.’
- ‘We are in a competitive labor market for installers and have had some recent turnover. We are aggressively hiring to install our solution and if you purchase this quarter as we work through the changes, we are able to offer you a discount that will not be available after we staff up.’
Be direct, be honest, and ask for the business.
In the long term, win deals and create your own references. If you have an established product or service, invest in your client base. Go meet with them, listen to why they will not be a reference, and then put together a plan to address their issues and tell them your long term goal is to make them a reference account. When you win new business, don’t just sell them and move on to the next account, continue to invest your time with your client, so they will be a reference for you.
If you are a front-line sales person, address the reference challenges with your sales manager. Not having references is an issue for your company. I am willing to bet your management team already has a strategy for creating and cultivating references. If they do, volunteer to help your company out. Strategize with your peers on what they are doing and how they addressing references. Go to the top the sales person in your company and ask him/her for their advice.
Willy , Good Referencing and let us know how it goes! Reader Feedback, please click the comments below to give additional information on 'I have no references’ and I want your feedback on my response. Shaun P
Willy, this is a fantastic question because my favorite way to sell is ‘Reference Selling.’ Where your clients talk about how great you and your solutions are, versus you as a sales person telling them how great it will buy from you. References also assist with my preferred objection handling option Triple F, or Feel, Felt, Found. If you have quality references and you understand how they are using your solutions, you can use Triple F in any scenario. ‘Yes, Mr. Prospect, I understand how you feel, our client felt the same way, and they found with our solution there challenges were resolved using our solution. ‘
I will start with my usual round of questions: Is your product or service new? How long has your company been in business? If your product or services is new, can you use references on the quality of your company? Does your company have references outside of your territory? How competitive is your market? What type of references do you need: senior manager, end user, financial / ROI, etc.?
My recommendation is be proactive in both the short term and long term. Don’t hope your prospect don’t ask for references as Rick Page, wrote in his book ‘Hope Is Not a Strategy: The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale.’ In the short term, directly address why you don’t have reference with your prospects, what your company is doing, and why you need them as a client:
- ‘We are a start up and are looking for progressive thinkers, like yourself, to work with us.’
- ‘We are launching a new service and are looking for early adopters. Are you interested?’
- ‘As an established vendor, we recently revamped our support team to better serve our clients. At this stage in the transition, my recommendation is to talk to our VP of Support to review our plans for supporting you.’
- ‘We are in a competitive labor market for installers and have had some recent turnover. We are aggressively hiring to install our solution and if you purchase this quarter as we work through the changes, we are able to offer you a discount that will not be available after we staff up.’
Be direct, be honest, and ask for the business.
In the long term, win deals and create your own references. If you have an established product or service, invest in your client base. Go meet with them, listen to why they will not be a reference, and then put together a plan to address their issues and tell them your long term goal is to make them a reference account. When you win new business, don’t just sell them and move on to the next account, continue to invest your time with your client, so they will be a reference for you.
If you are a front-line sales person, address the reference challenges with your sales manager. Not having references is an issue for your company. I am willing to bet your management team already has a strategy for creating and cultivating references. If they do, volunteer to help your company out. Strategize with your peers on what they are doing and how they addressing references. Go to the top the sales person in your company and ask him/her for their advice.
Willy , Good Referencing and let us know how it goes! Reader Feedback, please click the comments below to give additional information on 'I have no references’ and I want your feedback on my response. Shaun P
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