I was training a bunch of sales people how to sell capital equipment
The role play was well underway.
We’d delved into the issues the prospect had, drilled right down into the nitty gritty. Got all the problems out on the table. Figured out what was keeping him up at night. All his frustrations with his current equipment and supplier.
We’d looked at the implications of not fixing the issues. What would happen if he kept the status quo.
He was non-committal. Couldn’t really justify to himself why he should spend the money upgrading. After all, things were working, albeit not as well as they could, but the cost of upgrading (to his mind) outweighed any benefits.
And this is where most sales training would tell you to walk away. There is no sale as there appears to be no need or problem to be solved. Which is completely wrong because this is only half the story.
But first, some human psychology. Bear with me – it’s important.
We all move towards things we want or away from what we don’t want. Think of the carrot and the stick. If someone has a greater TOWARDS orientation, you can motivate them with rewards. A more AWAY FROM orientation will be more motivated by the stick or what they don’t want to happen.
Punishment/Pain (Away From) <--------------------------------> Rewards/Pleasure (Towards)
Everyone falls somewhere on the continuum.
There are those (approximately 50%) who are more motivated by moving away from what they don’t want – (I don’t want this problem so I’ll solve it), to the rest who are aspirational and motivated by moving towards things they want.
Most sales training tends to focus on the pain side of the equation.
You’re taught to uncover the pain, magnify it, get the prospect to really feel it and then show them a way out in the hope they want to move away from it and grasp the solution with both hands.
But what if your prospect doesn’t feel the pain or think it’s bad enough to warrant fixing? Continuously delving into more and more pain tends to alienate these types of people. They’re more interested in growth.
So what else should you be doing?
Move into their “aspirations”.
Where do they want to go? Their goals? What are the possibilities? What would make them feel really happy?
In short, focus on the positives.
You’ll be amazed at how people will open up, excitement in their voices, talking animatedly about where they could go, and what it will be like.
And I’d be willing to bet, you’ll find even more possibilities you’d never have uncovered if you’d just stayed with the negatives.
Back to our role play.
The “prospect” ran a small boat building yard. He was worried about the competition, productivity and lack of available skilled employees.
He knew he had problems, but the cost of refitting his equipment and outlaying a significant amount of money held him back from considering a purchase.
Until I asked him what he wanted his life to be like in 5 to 10 years down the track.
He wanted a thriving business producing lots of boats. A business that could run without him and he could eventually hand over to his children or sell.
And as I “future paced” him – getting him to imagine this future and asked him how he now felt, his whole demeanour changed.
He visibly relaxed, looked happy, and if you looked closely, his whole physiology changed. He became open to the possibilities of success. He could see a future where he got the results he wanted and the life he could lead. All linked back to his decision to purchase upgraded equipment.
And we made a sale.
Yes it was a role play. But the facts remain… My “prospect” was in character. And the more you practice, the easier it gets, until you become unconsciously competent.
Naturally there is more to effective selling than just this. We also taught and employed cutting edge rapport building techniques (physical, verbal and emotional), patterns of motivation, as well as advanced language usage and skills designed to help your prospects get involved in the sales process and buy because they see real opportunities for themselves.
If you’d like to improve your sales performance, talk to us about our advanced training and coaching for sales people. This is not beginner stuff. We work with seasoned individuals and teams who sell complex solutions and we get results. Guaranteed!
Call us on (02) 9499-7958 for more information.
Rashid.
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