Have You Set This TRAP For Yourself?
I was visiting my good friend Tina recently and her young boys were playing in the living room. Her youngest boy is definitely a comedic little guy – he always wants the LAST WORD.
Tina asked her oldest son to do a chore and her youngest boy leaned in with his huge blue eyes and Bambi lashes and said…
“Don’t do it. It’s a TRAP.”
Honestly – we cracked up – advice from a 5 year old…but you know what I was thinking…”Hey – this is a great idea for a sales tip!”
Do You Know The Biggest Trap In Sales?
It’s when you’ve presented something to your customer/potential customer and they say…
“Well – I can get this from your competition for much cheaper.
Will you match their rates?”
Uh-oh. You’ve officially landed in a trap.
The worst part? You set it yourself.
How Did You Set The Biggest Trap For Yourself?
You didn’t ask your client enough questions in the beginning. (Cough – you DID ask questions right?)
The more info you know about your customer BEFORE you present a proposal is to your advantage. You have to know the HOT SPOTS of what they’re looking.
Examples:
What is your goal for using the service? Time frame?
What problems do you want to correct?
Are you using a product/service like this now?
Why are you leaving your current provider?
What attracted you to our company?
Have you defined a budget for this project?
How do you want to determine success with this product/service?
By getting a clear picture of what your customer wants you can AVOID walking into a trap that you SET YOURSELF by not positioning yourself as being DIFFERENT and RELEVANT to your customer.
So there.
Make sure you post a comment about a time when you were in a “TRAP”.
Make sure to leave your website too!
Love from your bossy Sales Diva,
Kim
P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can. If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!
My most memorable “box” that I have put myself into was just 1 month ago.
It was my proposal meeting with a prospect and after I reconfirmed what his needs where, explained the agreement in detail, and explained the payment process he hit me with this thought.
“I really want to do business with you, but I was not expecting to pay this much. I am not sure what exactly I would be getting after I spent $X’s in one year.”
Evidently I did not listen correctly, explain correctly, or just was not on the same planet as my prospect. I remember taking your advice which told me that not all prospects are who I want to work with. I believed that this might be one.
Thank you for all you do!
Comment by Cindy Watts — March 24, 2010 @ 6:08 am
I can remember when a customer brought up the fact that they could buy the same “Adult Only” product at any adult store for the same price. I told her exactly what I “should have” told her before she went there – that I was presenting the products in the privacy of her home having fun with her best friends (at no charge), she did not have to speak with that greasy little man behind the counter who would put his hands on her product and maybe fantasize about her, that she saved gas and time and energy getting there, that she could see how the product worked without having to buy it first, and best of all – I have a 90 day replacement policy for defects – INCLUDING if you used the treasure so much you wore it out!
I had set the trap and had to backpedal out of it. Now (thanks Bossy Diva!) I tell my customers why they love me and my company before they “go there”! Have a saucy day! Tracy
Comment by Tracy — March 24, 2010 @ 9:46 am
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for the note! Oh yes – you definitely put yourself in a “trap” however I think this one is salvageable.
He isn’t clear on what the benefits are for him (so the value doesn’t feel right) and also – if you didn’t know what the budget was – you may be outside of what he has available.
So BACK UP. Tell him you’d like to do business with him too. (If you do) and so you’d like to dig a little deeper into what he is looking for and also what he is expecting to pay. I don’t see that this deal is dead in the water.
You can do it!
Comment by kimduke — March 24, 2010 @ 2:46 pm
Tracy,
You cracked me up with your email!
Always remember it’s better to Ask vs Tell in sales.
(Hmm – I think I’ll have to write a column about that!)
Find out what’s important to them by asking questions first and then MATCH your responses to what they’ve identified as important.
Thanks for your note!
Kim
Comment by kimduke — March 24, 2010 @ 2:51 pm