DON'T MOVE! - Face to Face selling

Face to face sales is great.  It's one of the most interesting and fun games any two human beings can play with each other.

One guy sits on one side with a product or service.  The other guy sits opposite with his money in hand.

The goal is for those two people to exchange product or service for money.  Easy enough.  But why is it so hard for some to make that exchange happen?  And why so easy for others?

Well for starters, you need to look the part.  No explanation needed here.

Then, you need to command attention while giving the prospective buyer the illusion that they are in control.  Sales 101.

Then have fun selling.  You pitch, they object, you rebut, they object, you move to the left, move to the right.  And eventually, if you're good enough, it's time to for you to make a move.

That extremely critical part is next.  You need to ask for the sale.  And if you're not currently asking for the sale, you need to find a new job.  Just an FYI.

But 99 times out of 100, when you ask for the sale, you're going to get an objection of some kind.  Sure, every once in a blue moon, you'll get an "OK let's do it," but for the most part you're going to have to work for it.

So here is my advice.

DON'T MOVE!

I'll use the sticker shock close as an example here.  Let's say you're selling a software that specifically helps restaurants streamline the ordering process.

You explained the service that you're going to provide and have told the owner that it's going to cost him $4,000 a month if he wants your top of the line package. But hey, that's for the corporate company's out there.  Since he is just a local restaurant looking to thrive in a tough economy, all he will need is your medium package at $1,000 a month.  And if executed correctly, he will see a return of $2,000 a month.

"$1,000 a month? That's outrageous! There's just no way we can afford that!"

I'm telling you, that even if the service is $5 a month, you'll get this objection half the time.  It's just the world we live in.  But don't worry.  And don't move.  Don't even respond at first.  Let him decompress.

Think about it.  How often do you go to buy something and think "hey that's cheap and a great quality product!"  Not often.  And if you do get to that mental state, it's probably because you were convinced by a salesman, family member, or friend.

OK so now you become the therapist.  Time to shut up and listen and get the contract ready.

You're about to hear about a dozen reasons why it's too expensive.  And instead of going toe to toe with this guy, you're simply going to nod, agree and let him speak.  Why?  Because you're about to get to the dozen reasons why he DOES need it.  It's a very simply psychological process.  There's a reason why the average person eases into the pool instead of jumping off the diving board.

At this point there's probably been about 10 different opportunities for you to shake this guys hand, tell him you'll follow up next week and slash your chances of actually getting this sale.

But DON'T MOVE.

Just sit there and let him talk himself into it.  Your job is almost done.  Now the buyer just needs to sell himself.  That sometimes takes a while.  It also sometimes takes a little pressure.  No fear.  You don't have to say a word.  Just stay there.  Miss your next appointment if you have to.  But you can't leave no matter how awkward the situation gets.

Then finally, once everything has been said and done, and all the cards are on the table, you need to once again ask for the order.  You by no means will always get it.  But you're in a way better place than you were 10 minutes ago when $1,000 sounded like a million.  What if you would have left then?  The owner goes to the manager and says "psshhh, he wanted a grand for this system...he'll probably pop back in next week..tell him I'm not interested."

But you stayed.  You're forcing the thought process that must happen for a potential sale to get done.

Now you're in a position where the value has sunk in, the buyer hasn't kicked you out, and you just heard exactly why he needs what you have.  Plus you listened to his problems.  You didn't talk over him, go toe to toe, or tell him that you'll give a discount.  You simply let the buyer decompress, and now he is at the point where an emotional high is about to set in as he hopefully purchases your product or service.

All because you didn't move.

Never ever leave a sales call before you are told to by the prospect.

When you walk in, sit down, take out your materials, and stay put.

You will absolutely sell more by implementing this tactic into your sales calls.  And as a by-product, you'll also close a lot more doors a lot quicker so that you can move on to the next potential buyer.

Good luck!

David Altimari
"You become what you think about all day"