False assumptions sales people often make.
What sort of assumptions could a salesperson make that may not necessarily be true?
The buyer knows what he wants.
Not true – most prospects I see and those of salespeople we talk to don’t know what they want. They know what problems they may have but often it is the process of discussion through guided questioning that reveals what they want and the solutions they may find beneficial.
You’ll make the sale solely on price.
Price may be good for getting people in the door, but when it comes to people coming back it is very rarely price. Have you ever paid more for something you could get cheaper? Are you the cheapest in your marketplace? Do you have existing clients who buy from you knowing they could pay less with a competi5tor of yours? Of course you do.
The competition is all around you with better products.
The prospects may lead you to believe that, but only so he/she can strike a better deal with you? What’s your source of power? Why DO people buy from you? Why are your present customers buying from you? You’ll soon see that the competition ISN’T all around with better products
Your only real weapon is cutting the price.
This is probably the biggest one of all, and arguably the most dangerous. Be proud and defend your product/service. If we go into the meeting believing that at the start, then we have already agreed to cut the price – it’s just a question of how much.
All of these are real and dangerous mindsets (schemas) salespeople can have, and not one of them is true.
Today we know that:
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Customers have more choice
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There is more competition
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It won’t get any easier
For our own company we have both an opportunity and indeed a responsibility to cultivate and develop strategies that will enable us to forge strong relationships with our clients so we can tune into how WE can (through understanding our clients) can deliver real value added solutions for them. Take time to realise your real power, your real potential about you, your product and your company.
At Be More Effective we have been making over coming such challenges our business since 1992. We assist businesses globally in their quest to forge a competitive edge in their market and develop mental toughness with their sales team. We have developed strategies & approaches that are practical, relevant and proven that can help underpin sustained growth
Yours may be a fiercely competitive marketplace, but don’t lose sight as to what makes it competitive - you. Apart from your competitor, we can all be thankful for that! Focus on the positive and don’t lose sight as to your strengths. That’s your strengths with your company, your product and you as a person. As Helen Keller once said “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows”