Disagreements come in more ways than just saying "no." And if you are
disagreeing with someone, you'll never close the sale.
Agreement is vital and is the single most important and violated rule
of selling! I'm not saying you should mislead the customer. There's an
art to telling the customer, "I'd love to make that happen to you,"
rather than, "I can't," "I won't" or "That's not my job."
Here are seven things not to say in sales or business:
1. "That's not my department."
You must take responsibility for everything, whether it's in sales or
your personal life. Don't blame the economy, don't blame other people,
and don't blame any external conditions, because blaming is something
you do to become a slave.
The greats gave up the blame game long ago. They are big on
accountability and responsibility to get the job done. If you are
willing to take the credit when you win, be willing to take the credit
when you lose.
2. "You can trust me."
Have you ever noticed when a buyer isn't fully listening to you? This
occurs because the prospect assumes that since you are a salesperson
they cannot trust you. The media constantly runs broadcasts of scams
and cons that make consumers skeptical of salespeople. Losing
credibility will add time and this lack of trust from the prospect
will cost you sales.
Saying "trust me" to a prospect isn't going to build trust and may
even have the opposite effect. To properly handle your buyers trust
you must understand that people believe what they see, not what they
hear.
Always, always show written material to support your presentation or
proposal. Make sure to use third-party materials when collecting facts
for your customer that support what you're saying -- this adds
external credibility to your claims. And you must write down
everything you have said, offered, proposed, promised, suggested and
implied during the proposal.
3. "I don't use this myself."
Others will never agree with you until you are convinced of the value
yourself. If you're working for an auto dealership and you aren't
driving the kind of cars you're selling, you lose credibility and
trust -- and no one buys from someone they don't trust.
Conviction will make or break you -- and your sale is made only when
your belief in your product, service or idea is stronger than your
prospect's objections. The moment they give up a bit of their
conviction is the moment the sale becomes possible.
You must be in 100 percent completely and entirely before you can
maximize your opportunities. Don't even attempt selling someone else
until you are completely sold yourself.
4. "It's a company policy."
Nobody ever wants to hear this, ever. This is a perfect opportunity
for you to practice the golden rule, because you know you hate hearing
it. Nobody cares about a company policy, they care about the service
they are provided, so don't use it as a way to justify why you can't,
or won't, do something for a customer.
If you have a policy that conflicts with the comfort of the client,
either break it, don't bring it up or come up with a solution before
you propose a problem.
Sell the reason. Here are a few startup examples: "Sir, just wanted to
let you know, this may not be the best place to…" Or, "Ma'am, I
understand you don't have a receipt and I want to help you with this.
I can exchange it for you, would that help?"
5. "We're competitive."
The idea that "competition is healthy" is meant for consumers, not
salespeople. Don't compete -- dominate.
When Steve Jobs wanted to get into cell phones, the people at Apple
told him to stick to iPods and to leave the phone alone. The iPhone is
still the single most popular smartphone on the planet. That's how you
dominate a space -- you need to become an expert in your field. Use
LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Facebook and any other means to be the
first thing people see or think of when they look for your type of
product or service.
6. "This might be out of your price range."
Always treat the buyer as a buyer, because in sales anyone who
believes they have the ability to pre-judge the ability of a buyer is
costing themselves a fortune. I have been told in countless situations
that there was no way this would be a sale, but because I treated the
buyer like they could do a deal, guess what: they did!
Regardless of them saying they have no money, no budget, they don't
want to pay taxes, they aren't the decision-maker, can't, won't --
whatever they tell you, always treat the prospect like they can and
will buy.
7. "I'm off today."
You must always be open for business. Have you ever received an "out
of office" auto-response when trying to contact someone? It's so
impersonal and drives me nuts! Never announce you are closed off to
opportunities! You need to do whatever it takes to be open for
business, no matter when, no matter what.
Look, I understand, I'm a father and a husband, and there are plenty
of times I'm in 10X mode giving full attention to my family. However,
business is still getting handled. Tweets and Facebook posts are going
out and people who are trying to reach me have no idea I'm on the
floor playing with my daughters or on a trip with my wife. I'm still
always connected.
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