Sales Athlete, Inc.

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Chapter 4 : Six Possible Responses to Your Approach

The six characteristic responses (verbal or implied) you'll find whenever you approach anyone new with a product, a service, or an idea are:

Rude
Indifferent
Skeptical
Interested
Indefinite
Objector

Responding to these different attitudes obviously requires different approaches. The challenge is to know to whom you are speaking, and to quickly assess which strategy will move your listener into a position of trusting you enough to tell you exactly what they need and want from the connection. You need to first identify the type of person you're dealing with and then apply the appropriate principles for creating receptivity with that type of person. Remember, this strategy only works when you are prepared with the research you need to maintain credibility with your listener once you have established an open dialogue.

The goal is to create trust and to open a dialogue in which all types of listeners will be comfortable enough to truthfully tell you any objections or concerns they might have about your product, service, or idea. Once they have made their concerns clear, you will be able to provide solutions and in doing so create bonds that will cement a positive business relationship. Here are the guidelines for reaching that goal with each type of listener you may encounter.

Rude: Don't Take It Personally

Whenever I meet a crabapple-someone who doesn't appreciate my passion to solve a problem, provide a solution, make a positive contribution, and make their life easier in some way-I want that client even more! Rude people are the most feared of all, but when you have learned how to communicate with them, you'll find they are also the most loyal. Because they won't stop to listen to new information, they frequently remain uninformed about available improvements. Once you win them over as a preferred and valued resource, rude prospects become your most loyal clients. These clients will not hesitate to tell you what they need to keep them loyal. They frequently take great pride in the decision to do business with you and to fend off your competitors.

When facing a difficult potential customer like this, remember that he or she didn't save that behavior or create it just for you. It is a tactic used regularly as a business method to shoo people away. Rude prospects believe their behavior works because it does succeed in creating a distance between themselves and any perceived outside nonsense.

Once you recognize that rude behavior is not directed at you personally, you can embrace the challenge of separating yourself in the eyes of rude people from all the other people who have disappointed them. You feel their pain, you care, and you're not going to let their growling send you away, as it might less committed competitors.

"Put me down in your calendar for June 23," one snarling prospect told me over the phone. "And when you call, I'll be sure not to be here!"

I replied with a lilt in my voice, "Ouch! What on earth has happened to you to cause you to respond with such anger to my wanting to drive business to your company?"

With that, I heard him loosely cover the mouthpiece of his telephone and shout to his secretary, "She got me!"

At other times, when a rude prospect comes snarling my way, I might smile, shake my head, and quietly return the volley: "That is exactly why I called! This is not a normal reaction to a call from me. You must have had a terrible experience. Tell me about it."

I call it "Going to Mount Vent." I am happy to be their sounding board as they blow off steam about how they've been ripped off, how all salespeople are conniving, how they're not about to let me try and con them into something they can well do without. I prefer to encourage them to vent their frustrations. When they are through, they usually feel a little silly. Not only were you listening, they were listening to themselves, too, so now most often they are willing to listen to what I have to say.

I let these prospects know that I, too, am angry with "those people" in the past who have let them down. It is people like that who are preventing my prospect from listening to the tried-and-true advantages of my services.

Indifferent: Differentiate Yourself

Throughout every aspect of your life, you are going to find people who just don't see the value of spending time with you. Indifference is the most common response you're likely to encounter. This person may not be overtly rude, but he or she is absolutely confident you have nothing of value to offer and therefore sees no reason for spending time with you. There are a variety of ways to communicate indifference: "Thank you, but I'm satisfied with my existing resource." Or "Oh, we don't need those, we don't have any use for that." Underlying such statements or an attitude of indifference is the unspoken message, "People are always trying to sell me something I don't need, and I don't want to waste my time."

You may recognize this as the buyer for whom I had to install speed bumps along the road. To slow down people who are up to their neck in details or overwhelmed in a deal-a-minute world, the strategy is to put in place speed bumps that help you differentiate yourself from the hordes of messages and mediocrity besieging these potential clients every hour of every day.

Your job with indifferent prospects is to differentiate yourself from all those people who have wasted their time and to present yourself as a knowledgeable professional who will increase their profits each and every time you connect.

Your opening strategy is to produce four or five speed bumps from your checklist of ways to first introduce yourself; phone, voice mail, assistant, e-mail, fax, traditional letter, and networking.

You have a story to tell. Mine is always the same. I promise to make the experience as easy, positive, and informative as possible. Please note there is no single way; your selection of speed bumps depends on whom you are trying to reach.

Speed Bump Example:

Call and connect with the assistant and ask for guidance. Ask if he or she would be kind enough to pop you into voice mail.
Produce a short and to-the-point letter. Letters still work and differentiate you from the e-mail clutter.
Make a follow-up phone call. Ask the assistant if you can e-mail, and then CC the assistant.
E-mail the client with the same message that you left with the assistant when you first called, reiterated in the letter, voice mail, and now e-mail.
The fifth approach is equal to my last sign on the route: "Happiness Is Just Around the Corner." I offer the opportunity to provide, in a short meeting, a strong return on the person's time invested.

At The Sales Athlete, Inc., my message is always clear: "If you would like to improve sales and profits, you may want to consider hiring a Sales Athlete. In just a few minutes, I can show you how to trade your weakest link for a high-performance Sales Athlete." I believe it, and I mean it.