Prepare for rejection is what Mike Southon learned me. We often prepare for success, for all kinds of scenarios, but do we actually plan for rejection? No, most of us don’t!
Why not? Because of fear! To be honest, I ‘ve been afraid and fearfull before…Now, I’ve changed tremendously, but I can still remember my days of insecurity and fear very well!
What else did I learn from Mike lateley? A great formula for case studies. Of course, like you, I also thought I knew this already, but Mike added some added value to it!
“When people are sceptical about you, come with proof fast!”
That’s where case studies are handy. His structure : Start with the pain or problem your customer had. Then talk about what you did. Be specific! And finally, present the results. Talk this case study through with your client and ask them for the consequences. Are they willing to provide you with a quote? Go for it! (Or write it yourself and have them approve it 
) On top of that you could ask them if they know how much they’ve spend, invested with you. Ask them if they would order more? How much? While you’re talking to them ask them for referrals. At least 6! If you want to learn how to do this, enroll for Everlasting Referals (Jan Vermeiren)!
Another interesting lesson from Mike was about closing a sale : People can answer only in 3 ways : Yes, No or Maybe. If it’s a YES, it’s easy : STFU (aka Shut The F**k Up) and take the money. The biggest mistake people are making (including myself) is to try to sell something extra rightaway. Don’t do it! Just take the money (gently) and run. Next time, sell something extra. If you still keep pushing to sell something extra, you’ll end up confusing the customer and loosing even this first deal… I think Mike is right!
If the customer says NO, then in fact you have 2 cases : a true NO and a false NO. The latter is easy, you can straighten the facts, because most of the time it’s about a misunderstanding or miscomprehension or…Get those right and you’ll close the deal! If it’s a true NO, you loose the sale. Don’t worry, walk away, and invest your time in other prospects. You can’t win them all, right? By the way, what did you learn from it? Did you get feedback from this lost case? What will you do differently next time?
The hardest case is the MAYBE, but Mike’s answer is pretty simple : Walk away! These people are the Timewasters! They will eat up your time…So, walk away and focus on other prospects to close more deals! Wow, I realised I was still spending too much time on these people in the past…resulting in poor results.
Also looking for an outstanding salestraining, just talk to Mike Southon. His “Salestraining on a Beermat” was nearly perfect. Some stuff I knew already, but Mike got it all well put and added some humour and a significant value to them. It was worth every penny and minute of my time!
Enjoy every day,
Bert Verdonck
Create, Connect & Contribute
Posted by bertverdonck
Posted by bertverdonck
Posted by bertverdonck
