Last week’s column was about the need for salespeople to get out of their own way, and how too many salespeople don’t. Then, a couple of days ago, I saw a perfect example of a salesperson who got in his own way.
I had lunch with a friend of mine who runs an industrial manufacturing company, and on the way back, we stopped by a distributor of shop equipment – my friend’s company needed to buy a couple of machines. The salesperson eagerly showed my friend a machine, and my friend asked the salesperson, “What’s the duty cycle?” The salesperson – using the finest sales techniques that the 1970s had to offer – asked, “Is the duty cycle something that’s important to you?” (It was the old, “Always answer a question with a question” technique.) My friend whipped out his smartphone, Googled the model number of the machine, and found the duty cycle. He looked at the salesman and said, “You have just become superfluous,” and we walked out.
When we got back to the office, my friend got online, found the machine, made sure the specs were what he wanted, placed the order, paid, and arranged shipping – all in about fifteen minutes. He probably had the transaction complete before the salesperson at the equipment distributor figured out what he did wrong (if he ever did).
And what did the salesperson do wrong? You’ve (hopefully) figured it out already. He used a 1970s technique in a 2016 sales environment. Yes, I once learned the “Always answer a question with a question” technique, too. And I know why it’s thought to be a good idea – by using it, it theoretically can help you home in on the customer’s primary buying motivations. But it’s a bad idea for three reasons:
- It’s annoying. When a customer asks you a question, they’re seeking an answer, and when they don’t get it, they become annoyed.
- If you’re doing your job, you should already know your customer’s buying motivations through your own questioning.
- The world has changed. Once upon a time, customers had to put up with #1 and #2 above because we (salespeople) were the repository of product knowledge that the customer wanted. Now? You got it. Just like my friend did, a salesperson can become superfluous to the process when the product information is easily available via the Internet and smartphones.
In today’s world, when the customer asks you a question, they expect an answer, not a BS question right back. And if you won’t give the customer an answer, they’ll find someone – or something – that will.
Another example of the salesperson getting in their own way is related. Few things strike fear in the hearts of salespeople like the customer who asks for their price “too soon.” You’re only partway through your presentation, and the customer interrupts and says, “How much?”
Your stress meter goes to ten because you haven’t gotten through all the benefits that justify your price. What do you do?
Simple. You answer the question. Yes, I just said that you should tell your customer the price, even though you haven’t gone all the way through your presentation. The reason is simple – if you tell the customer, “Hold on, l haven’t finished my presentation,” or some such nonsense, your customer knows that you’re scared to death of your price – and if you think your price is too high, your customer will, too.
When the customer asks for the price, every word you speak before giving them the price costs you money. Again, the successful technique here is no technique at all – just answer the question.
Of course, sometimes you need more information before giving a price. That’s okay. Just explain why, gather the information, and then give the customer the price.
The common thread here is that in today’s Internet driven sales world, what your customer wants – no, demands – is straightforward communication. We can no longer keep the ‘golden product knowledge’ in our hip pocket – not when the customer can simply tap a few buttons and get it.
The best way to get out of your own way is to drop the old techniques and respect the customer’s intelligence.
