Last week I was speaking with a new prospect who had called in to inquire about one of my inside sales training programs. I went over her needs, matched up my training to fit those needs, gave her the price options and then closed on dates.
And that?s when I got the old stall, ?Well, let me run this by my boss, and I still have to hear back from, blah, blah, blah.? Sound familiar?
What was worse was that a few days later she stopped returning my calls and didn?t respond to my emails. Now I can take a hint, and I know that she probably wasn?t going to be a deal. I?m sure you can relate, and so I want to give you a proven technique that will allow you to:
1) Open up the dialogue again.
2) Find out why your prospect isn?t going with you.
3) Get them to tell you what you can do to save the sale.
It?s called the ?I love to learn? technique and here?s what you do:
First, you?re going to have to be persistent and keep calling your prospect until you catch them and they pick up. Don?t leave any more voice mails. Once you get them, say the following:
?Hi __________, I?m glad I reached you ? how have you been?? They will likely try to brush you off here, so you say:
?That?s perfectly OK. I?ve been in sales long enough to know when we might not be a match for a company. Just a quick question, though. You know, I love to learn and I?m always trying to improve, what specifically about our (offer, quote, product or service) didn?t seem right for you??
Now shut up and listen! If you do this right, your prospect will tell you what was wrong with your proposal, and this will give you a chance to adjust or adapt it to fit their needs. Will it always work? Of course not, but if there is still a chance to get a deal, this technique will show you how. !