A Different Approach

In Sales it is important to be on top of your game and to know where you are going. When you have a prospective client you need a game plan of what you're going to be doing with them. Your pitch needs to be orderly and you need to know your product inside and out so that you can answer any questions that may arise.

Yesterday I got a guy on the line who last year was a "not interested." I called him up again this year and reintroduced what we do, sent him another email. Got him back on the line and he once again told me that this was not what he needed. So rather than following my manager's directive and just abandoning the guy as a lost cause I stopped and asked him flat out "Well, what do you want?"

Like a skilled martial artist I had pulled him off his balance. Suddenly I was not attacking him with sales, but opening up and letting him come to me. He took a moment, and then told me exactly what he wanted. He set his own trap, because a that point I told him I could provide him that, at X price.

Fast forward 30 minutes and I've pulled out from him details about everything he wants and exactly how he wants it; I've answered all his technical questions and addressed his concerns. At this point my manager is looking at me and telling me to get off the phone with the guy because "he's just milking {me} for information," Instead of heeding this advice I lay it out for the client: Look, Jim (not his real name), I've listened to everythign you've said, and I've identified what it is you're looking for. I've told you that I can do it for this price, which you've told me is a good deal to you. What's stopping us from going forward?"

His answer: "Nothing, let's do this."