"How can I prepare for meetings and overcome common sales objections?” AJ3
AJ3, I have a many clarifying questions here, but in absence of those, I’ve interpreted your submission as a two part question:
Part A. I have an upcoming call with a long sought after IT Director, what do I say?
Part B. Here is a list of common objections I’m getting. How do I overcome them?
Let’s tackle Part A first. Without any knowledge into how you’ve arranged this call or meeting (i.e.; previous cold call attempts, IT director assistant set it up, Tradeshow, referral, etc.) – I’ll assume this is a first call or on-site meeting and the IT director knows little about you, your company, and your product.
What is your objective for the call or meeting? Begin with the end in mind. Here is a common call strategy that is very predictable and mostly unsuccessful: - Introduce yourself; Your company; Quickly review of your offerings; Trial close with a closed ended question “would any of these offerings be of benefit to you?”; and then Hope (which is not a strategy) there is a fit and that the IT director proposes a next step for you.
The above methodology leads to the many common “objections” you’ve listed in your submission (e.g.; Customer is happy; We're not looking to make any purchases right now; We use local VARs, Outsource our IT etc.) and if you walked into that trap, without seeking first to understand before being understood, and you have set yourself up for failure and you never learned anything about the prospect.
Suggested Call / Meeting Strategy: Research the prospect; During the meeting ask questions to understand the prospects situation; Sell the value of your solutions based on the prospects needs; Determine with the prospect if a next step makes sense.
Remember: prospects buy the Person -> the Product -> then the Company. There is a simple track to follow:
1. Introductions, including both your prospect and yourself
2. Be honest (Why are you calling them? my job is to identify opportunities in the state,city and the purpose my call today is to introduce myself, learn about you and your company, and determine if there are any opportunities to work with you. There is nothing to sell because I don’t know what to sell you.)
3. Gain agreement to ask questions, then ask away. Below are example questions:
· What projects are you and your team focusing on in FY2010?
· How are you addressing “insert company deliverable”?
· How would you rate your current satisfaction with your partners that offer X product?
· Is there anything you would improve or change?
· It would be helpful for me to understand your process for selecting business partners?
· What are the criteria for doing business with you? (state contract, dell, price, location)
· How could I stay informed on future project opportunities with your company?
· Is there anyone else in your department you would suggest I introduce myself to?
4. Introduce a distinctive deliverable you and/or your company provides (We specialize, we deliver…)
5. Qualify – do I have an opportunity here?/does this company meet my ideal customer profile?
6. Confirm next step – could I arrange a visit with you and explore X opportunity further?
Part B: If you do part A correctly you will minimize part B. I recommend your check out Shaun's presentation on Managing Questions (Objections):
http://closerq.blogspot.com/2008/04/wednesday-april-23rd-2008-managing.html
AJ3's Unabridged Question:
Here are a couple of sales questions I have , and would like to know how to overcome them. I have been trying to reach the IT Director for a long time and finally have that person on the phone, what do I say?
· Customer is happy with their current rep/company
· We are a Dell Shop
· Are you on state contract
· Everything goes through purchasing
· We use local VARs, Outsource our IT etc.
· We're not looking to make any purchases right now
· You can only contact me and no one else
One last note, on Veteran's Day, I want to thank the active members of our Military Branches and our Veterans, for protecting our country and preserving our freedoms. Thank You, Shaun Priest.
This week, I have asked fellow business executive, Jason Hopper, to answer this week's CloserQ question. I want to thank Jason for being a guest blogger and answering AJ3's question. Please click 'comments' at the bottom to give Jason and I your feedback.
AJ3, I have a many clarifying questions here, but in absence of those, I’ve interpreted your submission as a two part question:
Part A. I have an upcoming call with a long sought after IT Director, what do I say?
Part B. Here is a list of common objections I’m getting. How do I overcome them?
Let’s tackle Part A first. Without any knowledge into how you’ve arranged this call or meeting (i.e.; previous cold call attempts, IT director assistant set it up, Tradeshow, referral, etc.) – I’ll assume this is a first call or on-site meeting and the IT director knows little about you, your company, and your product.
What is your objective for the call or meeting? Begin with the end in mind. Here is a common call strategy that is very predictable and mostly unsuccessful: - Introduce yourself; Your company; Quickly review of your offerings; Trial close with a closed ended question “would any of these offerings be of benefit to you?”; and then Hope (which is not a strategy) there is a fit and that the IT director proposes a next step for you.
The above methodology leads to the many common “objections” you’ve listed in your submission (e.g.; Customer is happy; We're not looking to make any purchases right now; We use local VARs, Outsource our IT etc.) and if you walked into that trap, without seeking first to understand before being understood, and you have set yourself up for failure and you never learned anything about the prospect.
Suggested Call / Meeting Strategy: Research the prospect; During the meeting ask questions to understand the prospects situation; Sell the value of your solutions based on the prospects needs; Determine with the prospect if a next step makes sense.
Remember: prospects buy the Person -> the Product -> then the Company. There is a simple track to follow:
1. Introductions, including both your prospect and yourself
2. Be honest (Why are you calling them? my job is to identify opportunities in the state,city and the purpose my call today is to introduce myself, learn about you and your company, and determine if there are any opportunities to work with you. There is nothing to sell because I don’t know what to sell you.)
3. Gain agreement to ask questions, then ask away. Below are example questions:
· What projects are you and your team focusing on in FY2010?
· How are you addressing “insert company deliverable”?
· How would you rate your current satisfaction with your partners that offer X product?
· Is there anything you would improve or change?
· It would be helpful for me to understand your process for selecting business partners?
· What are the criteria for doing business with you? (state contract, dell, price, location)
· How could I stay informed on future project opportunities with your company?
· Is there anyone else in your department you would suggest I introduce myself to?
4. Introduce a distinctive deliverable you and/or your company provides (We specialize, we deliver…)
5. Qualify – do I have an opportunity here?/does this company meet my ideal customer profile?
6. Confirm next step – could I arrange a visit with you and explore X opportunity further?
Part B: If you do part A correctly you will minimize part B. I recommend your check out Shaun's presentation on Managing Questions (Objections):
http://closerq.blogspot.com/2008/04/wednesday-april-23rd-2008-managing.html
AJ3's Unabridged Question:
Here are a couple of sales questions I have , and would like to know how to overcome them. I have been trying to reach the IT Director for a long time and finally have that person on the phone, what do I say?
· Customer is happy with their current rep/company
· We are a Dell Shop
· Are you on state contract
· Everything goes through purchasing
· We use local VARs, Outsource our IT etc.
· We're not looking to make any purchases right now
· You can only contact me and no one else
One last note, on Veteran's Day, I want to thank the active members of our Military Branches and our Veterans, for protecting our country and preserving our freedoms. Thank You, Shaun Priest.
Comments
First off - there is no such thing as an easy sale. However, there is such a thing as a good system. Not every opportunity is going to agree to your system, but if you prepare and ask good questions, you will have more success and people will respect you. If the person refuses to answer your questions, perhaps a simple question might be “why?” or “May I submit a series of questions to you in writing and setup a follow-up time in the weeks ahead to review them?”
Put it in perspective – Ted Williams struck out almost 2 out of 3 times at the plate, but he is still the greatest hitter of all time.
Jason Hopper