What do you do when a prospect calls you out of the blue and one of the first things they ask you about is what you can do for them and the price?

If you either launch into your spiel telling them all about your services or even worse, give them a price, that’s a huge mistake.

Here’s why.

First of all you know nothing about them.  You have no idea what their issues are and if you can even solve them.

Start by qualifying the person in or out.  By asking questions and listening.

Are they the decision maker or as so often happens when dealing with organisations they’re pretty low on the totem pole and have been tasked with identifying prospective suppliers.

Believe me that happens a lot.

For the purposes of this video I’m going to assume they’re the primary decision maker.

These are some of the questions you need clarity on.

Is there a compelling reason for them to change? Your solution being a nice to have is not enough.

Unless the issue is causing significant pain, and solving it will give them an outcome they really desire, they won’t move.  What’s it costing them in time, money and effort not to change?

Will your solution give them what they want?  What are their expectations?  What does success look like to them?

Remember, people make purchasing decisions, not corporations.  What are the decision maker’s personal drivers for wanting this solution?

In a previous video, ‘Why ignoring personal agendas will cost you sales’, I warned about not taking personal considerations into account and your risk of losing the sale because it wasn’t in the best personal interest of the buyer even though the company he represented would benefit hugely.

You can find it on our site revealedresources.com.

Now, finally, realise a sales call is actually a two way interview.

Your prospect wants to know if you can solve their issues.  You’re deciding if you want them as a client.

Now as a quick aside, these are the three questions we tell our own prospects we need answers to before taking them on.

One.  Can we add significant value?  Two.  Will they take our advice and implement?  And three.  Do we like them?  Is there a cultural fit?  After all life’s too short to work with people we don’t like!

Now that begs the question of what if they’re not a good fit.

Be gentle.  Explain to them why they aren’t at a high level.  Your goal is to part as friends.

If appropriate refer them onto someone who could help them.  They’ll thank you for it and are more likely to refer you on to others in their network knowing you’ve been an honest broker.

And finally, to help you, I’ve put together our COMPLETE professional sales conversation structure.  One we and our clients in 45 industries have used to close significant high value business.

Message me with your email and phone number if you’d like it.  No strings.  Take it, use it and tell us your results.

And of course theory is fine, but correct practice is what makes champions.  We offer comprehensive sales coaching and mentoring which will significantly improve your results.

Give me a call or email me at rk@revealedresources.com and we’ll see if we’re a good fit.

Till next time, this is Rashid Kotwal.

Happy selling.

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