Understand How Resistance Impacts Your Ability to Close the Sale
Posted by: Cheryl Clausen in sales coaching, tags: closing the sale, how to sell, sales coachingResistance to change is one of those human frailties I mentioned in the last post that make it harder for you to close the sale if you don’t understand it, and don’t know how to deal with it.
Extreme Motivation
It is much easier to remain complacent and keep doing whatever you’re doing now than it is to make a change. Change is uncomfortable. It takes extreme motivation to either avoid something very painful, or get something very pleasurable to spur most people to get off their duffs and DO SOMETHING.
The option of doing nothing, aka not buying, is SOOO much easier than the option of buying. Even when your prospect really wants to buy they waffle back and forth thinking should I or shouldn’t I. It’s much easier to stick with what you know than venture into the unknown. As far as your potential client is concerned you are selling an unknown.
Risky Business
Making a change is risky no matter what that change might be. When your prospect is weighing the pros and cons of purchasing they are really evaluating how this purchase impacts them:
- Are they risking being wrong and having to admit it?
- Are they risking investing more than the value they’ll get?
- Are they risking how others think of them?
- Are they risking giving up things they like?
- Are they risking having to do things or get things they don’t like?
The list could go on, however, you get the idea. One thing I want to make sure you don’t miss. These risks are all about how this purchase decision impacts them as a person on a very personal level.
A common mistake people make is talking in terms of what their prospect is buying from a feature or process perspective. What they’re really concerned about is how this purchase impacts them as a person. Will this purchase decision make them feel more confident, respected, healthier, better looking, etc.?
Peel the Onion
You’ve probably heard the phrase you have to peel the onion many times in sales. What people often don’t understand is that when you peel the onion you are working to uncover the core motivators for the person you are talking to. You will never get to that point unless you earn the trust and respect of that person.
That means you need take it easy and allow that level of trust to develop. Start by asking the easy questions until you earn the right to ask the important questions. You will need to ask questions like:
- How would this impact your customers?
- How would it impact your ability to manage your employees?
- How might this impact your profits?
- How would this help you grow?
- If I could show you…. how would that impact the way you work with your clients?
- If I could show you… how would that impact your family?
- If I could show you… how would that impact your standing among your peer?
- What happens if you do nothing?
Think of the questions relevant to your business and your potential clients.
Unless you can openly talk about whatever is creating the resistance you can’t possibly overcome it by helping your prospect talk it through. Until you uncover what really gets your potential client fired up and ready to act you won’t immediately seal the deal.
Coach Cheryl
photo credit: Danilo Cattani
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