Here’s the surefire way to be miserable, unhappy and stressed out when selling.
This is going to be a tough pill, so buckle up.
If your underlying motivation when making cold calls is to book meetings with everyone, you behave in ways that feel pushy.
Here’s what being pushy sounds like:
Lisa: “I don’t eat meat. I’m a vegan.”
Salesperson: “I understand how you feel. Many customers felt the same way. But what they found after trying our grass-fed beef was that they felt more energetic. Can we set up five minutes later this week so I can tell you more?”
Lisa: “I’m not interested. I’ll never eat meat. Ever.”
Salesperson: “I’m not asking you to take out your wallet. I just want to show you what your options are in case you decide you’d like to eat meat one day. Let’s set up a 5-minute Zoom on Thursday. Do you have your calendar handy?”
You get the idea.
Whenever prospects feel the push, they enter the Zone of Resistance (ZOR). The ZOR is a reflex reaction to sales pressure.
Same motivation.
Same pushy behavior.
Same results.
The best way to break through the ZOR is to simply let go of assumptions.
Here’s what letting go of assumptions sounds like:
Salesperson: “Lisa, you have so much energy. If you don’t mind me asking, is it because you’re a vegan or do you occasionally eat meat?”
Lisa: “I’ve been a vegan for 15 years. I’ll never go back to meat.”
Salesperson: “Never go back?”
Lisa: “Never. Meat doesn’t agree with me. I feel so much better without it.”
Salesperson: “Sounds like we’re not a fit.”
Salesperson: “I know this is a huge ask, but do you know 1 or 2 meat-eaters that might be open to learning about our service?”
Lisa: “Actually, my brother is a huge meat eater. His name is James.”
Different motivation.
Different behavior.
Different results.
The lesson?
It’s not your job to talk vegans into being meat-eaters.
Make an effort to be curious about your prospect without having an agenda, leaving results to sort themselves out.
Take no for an answer.
Your product’s benefits only matter IF they matter to your prospect. Find meat-eaters.
Switch from selling to sorting.