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SAVVY
SELLING - MAY
19, 2006
The
Case of the Reluctant Customer
By Michelle Nichols
EXECUTIVE
OVERVIEW
If
you sell any type of professional
services, here are ideas to
overcome the objection "I
think I should do it myself."
When it comes to
buying professional services,
many prospects think they might
be better off on their own.
Your job is to change their
minds
Rocket scientists and brain
surgeons have it easy. They
seldom hear their customers
or patients tell them, "I
can do this job myself. Why
should I pay you?" But
for those of us who sell services
that could be deemed easy enough
to do by yourself or within
your company, it's a constant
struggle to find customers who
understand the value of hiring
a professional. No matter what
type of service you sell --
accounting, design, speaking,
house painting -- the challenge
is the same.
Perhaps your prospective customer
hears his mother's voice in
his head, "Don't squander
your money. Do it yourself."
Maybe you're dealing with a
perfectionist who believes that
no one can do the job as well
as he can. It's also possible
he doesn't want to be dependent
on an outsider and wants to
develop the expertise in-house.
Whatever the source of the objection,
sales pros should know how to
locate the sales hurdle -- and
tackle it head on.
PREPARE YOURSELF.
A recent e-mail from a potential
customer was the perfect example
of this type of sales problem.
The e-mail read, "I'm currently
in turmoil trying to decide
what's best for us right now.
What usually happens, whether
you know it or not, upon contemplating
outside help for a situation,
internal motivation to not 'need'
help is stirred up. And because
of this, new ideas, some renewed
energy, and dare I say 'commitment'
have surfaced, which makes me
wonder if we should go with
this self-created wave to address
the problem for now, and then
call you in if we don't achieve
our goals which might really
make your input/advice stand
out."
Aargh. Has this ever happened
to you? I actually appreciate
that the writer was bold enough
to let me know what was going
on in his mind. If you sell
services of any kind, here is
some battle-tested advice to
help increase your numbers.
1. Anticipate the objection.
In my standard diagnosis questionnaire,
I ask, "How have you solved
similar challenges in the past?"
This question guarantees I don't
spend a lot of time in the sales
process only to hear at the
end -- surprise! -- the customer
will now be handling the service
on her own.
2. Qualify buying style.
If the customer's answer
to the above question is that
he had his nephew read a book
and do the computer-programming
work, or the president of the
company went to a class and
learned how to do office design
in her spare time, you know
this customer doesn't fit the
profile of someone who buys
professional services easily.
If you've got a customer like
this on your hands, take one
good shot at selling him on
the value of the time and energy
he will save. It's worth a try,
but face it, you're now taking
on the role of an educator,
trying to teach a decisionmaker
the importance of prioritizing.
There's a chance that you'll
convince him -- but only a small
chance. If the customer is a
dyed-in-the-wool do-it-yourselfer,
you're going to have a tough
time selling him your service.
3. Look for the match.
On the other end of the spectrum,
if the customer is the type
who outsources practically everything,
she is a prime candidate for
buying from you. Sometimes this
mentality is a result of corporate
maturity -- long ago, she tried
to do it all but over the years
has learned the wisdom of hiring
specialists. It may reflect
her corporate culture, where
she runs a lean, mean operation
doing what she does best, and
no more. She might sell a professional
service too, and innately understand
the value of yours. Who cares
exactly why? She's predisposed
to buy your service.
4. Be bold.
Idora Silver, professional speaker
and author of the book The Chutzpah
Connection, told me that when
potential clients call her with
a request, she usually offers
two or three other ways they
could fulfill it on their own.
In one instance, a prospective
customer wanted to hire her
to do some sales training. She
said, "Why don't you buy
everyone on your staff a sales
book?"
Then she added, "Why don't
you send them all to a sales
class?" She explained that
the customer responded with
reasons why he didn't want to
try those alternative solutions.
This exercise strengthens prospective
customers' resolve to buy from
her. It's a great example of
chutzpah, or boldness, in selling.
5. If they fight you,
let them go. Yes, this
approach will increase your
sales. Too many reps spend their
limited selling hours with unqualified
clients. Respect everyone's
buying motives, even if you
don't agree with them. Maybe
they have issues they haven't
shared with you that are keeping
them from moving forward and
signing your purchase order.
Rather than waste your time,
move on and look for new customers
-- or new business from current
customers.
6. Be encouraged by
the example of the home-improvement
industry. The rise
of big-box stores like Lowe's
and Home Depot have actually
contributed to the success of
contractors by making homeowners
eager to renovate. Today, many
are inspired to tackle a renovation
project on their own only to
discover that getting a professional-quality
result is a lot harder than
it seemed. The next step for
these reformed do-it-yourselfers
is to hire contractors.
The good news is there will
always be customers who value
the expertise of professionals.
Go find them -- and happy selling!
Michelle Nichols is a
professional sales speaker and
consultant based in Reno, Nevada.
She welcomes your questions
and comments. You can visit
her web site at www.savvyselling.com
or contact her at michelle.nichols@savvyselling.com.
Her toll-free number is (877)
352-9684.
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