Many participants in my programs ask how to deal with people who appear to be seeking information and nothing more. In many environments these individual's are called time wasters. Time wasters come in every shape and form but they usually possess a few consistent characteristics ? they ask a continuing stream of questions, take up loads of our time, and seldom end up buying anything.
What is particularly interesting about these situations is that many time wasters don't set out to be that way. It is usually our fault that this happens because we don't control the sales process. And in many cases, we become the time waster.
Most sales professionals know they are supposed to ask questions to learn about their customer's needs but I have learned that the majority of sales people tend to be more comfortable responding to questions rather than asking them. Here is a simple fact?the person who asks the questions is the one in control of the sales process.
I have conducted hundreds of sales training workshops in the last ten years and I consistently have people tell me they know the importance of asking questions. As the discussion continues I usually discover that they do in fact ask questions ? after they encounter objections or resistance from the buyer or customer. But that means it's too late. Now it will appear that you are trying to justify your product, service, price, etc.
Sales people hear this, but it seldom sinks in. Here is a personal example. After reading one of my weekly sales tips a sales person emailed me (for the second or third time) and said he had been focusing on his needs rather than mine in his previous correspondence. He presented a couple of good points so I agreed to a telephone conversation. When we connected he immediately launched into a ten-minute monologue about his company and its services. At this point it still wasn't clear what he wanted from me so I asked. He went on to say that he wanted me to endorse his product to my clients and newsletter subscribers. I then stated that my target market is mostly specialty retailers and asked how his product would help them. His reply, "Oh, it won't."
He had now just wasted almost 15 minutes of my time ? valuable time that could have been used to work on one of the many projects on my desk. As a sales person, he had just become a time waster. If he had asked one simple question in his email he could have saved us both time because he would have learned that our companies were not compatible.
In another situation, I listened to a sales person pitch his product by reading PowerPoint slides. His slides discussed his company, their financial backing, their products, their clients, blah, blah, blah. Not once did he ask me what I wanted in a solution. Instead, he kept his attention focused on his agenda, once again, wasting my time by talking about something that had no relevance to my situation or business. Professional selling means helping someone make an educated buying decision. That means you need to determine how your product or service fits into their situation. I was once asked by an advertising sales rep what to do if the prospect's publication targeted a different demographic that the advertisers. My answer was simple, "Move on."
In some cases, your product or service may not be needed by your prospect or may not fit into their plans. This means you move on to the next prospect. Don't waste their time and yours trying to reconfigure everything hoping something will work out.
Virtually everyone I know is pressed for time. Respect that fact. Save your customers time by asking a few well-thought out questions BEFORE you suggest a product or service. That way you won't become a time waster. But, how do you control a customer who is a time waster? There are a couple of ways?
First, ask a few high-quality questions early in the sales process to determine exactly what your customer is looking for and what their buying criteria are. One of these questions should be something that identifies the time-frame that your customer is working with.
The second thing you can do, particularly if the other person has indicated that they aren't making a buying decision in the near future, is to direct them to your website or offer other printed materials for them to review. Third, ask them to make a buying decision. This approach is effective because the time waster will become uncomfortable and will often end the sales discussion himself.
The fourth strategy is to drop them like a hot potato. Don't waste your time trying to close them. Be pleasant, firm and direct. Tell them that you must take care of other customers and move on.
You only have a certain number of hours of prime selling time in any given day. Don't waste your time selling to people who have no intention of ever buying. And, avoid wasting the time of your customers.
© 2005 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved
Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of "Stop, Ask & Listen ? Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers Into Buyers." Receive a FREE copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his free sales and motivational newsletter available at http://www.kelleyrobertson.com
Contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com
Your choice of materials for store fixtures includes wood, metal,... Read More
No matter what you sell--products, services, or causes--one of the... Read More
For many of you the Fear of Selling is a... Read More
When Dr. Frankenstein exclaimed "it's alive... it's alive," he thought... Read More
Selling Against Goliath?How to Take on the Big Guys and... Read More
Where many marketing conversations get off-track are the ones you... Read More
Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that... Read More
The main reason for buyer resistance and selling stalls boils... Read More
When I first started out as a loan officer, one... Read More
"Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"So started my weekend lesson in... Read More
When a request for proposal (RFP) comes in, you get... Read More
Everyone wants the best possible value in every transaction, but... Read More
Usually my essays discuss the issues that the 'sales' method... Read More
In my professional experience as a sales and marketing coach/consultant,... Read More
"Open-source" is typically found in the Information Technology area as... Read More
The topic of this issue's article is a response to... Read More
Article I of a two-part series.No matter what customers say... Read More
I'm not a baseball fan. Never have been. In fact,... Read More
Selling--a word that strikes terror in writers and professionals. We... Read More
Want to build a successful incentive program for your company?... Read More
I can remember the first time that I had to... Read More
A reader recently asked me the following: "I enjoyed the... Read More
Last minute discounting has become so prevalent that many companies... Read More
Remember those school exercises that started "Compare and contrast....yada yada... Read More
Let me create a picture for you. This is the... Read More
Many participants in my programs ask how to deal with... Read More
Hello, do you have a website and sell something on... Read More
A lot of people are very intrigued by the idea... Read More
Your job as an event planner doesn't stop with the... Read More
We use this method to find new cleaningcustomers, and it... Read More
Back in the days when I sold for CTV and... Read More
Have you ever sat through a movie and got to... Read More
When buying something, you can buy in one of two... Read More
Sales information resource Just Sell, calls caring "sales love". Here's... Read More
Most salespeople I know consider cold calling a dreadful, but... Read More
Color psychology is the biggest question I receive on a... Read More
To be effective your sales letter must be opened, read,... Read More
The largest sale that I ever closed was negotiated over... Read More
How many sales opportunities have you lost to competitors who... Read More
An important part of your business plan should be to... Read More
There's a direct correlation between sales experience and prejudging. The... Read More
Do you hang up on telemarketers? 9 times out of... Read More
Usually my essays discuss the issues that the 'sales' method... Read More
Last issue we talked about what motivates people to buy... Read More
Selling your services to corporations is an attractive proposition. The... Read More
For two winters I heated my house with an old... Read More
Offering gift certificates is an excellent way of increasing sales... Read More
The headline that appears over the salutation in a fundraising... Read More
I was a lucky kid when I grew up. Lucky,... Read More
If you live in England then you will already be... Read More
Awhile back you had a great idea. An idea that... Read More
(Objection handling tips excerpted from Objections! Objections! Objections!)People buy people.... Read More
If you are in Sales, you have probably heard these... Read More
Hello, do you have a website and sell something on... Read More
What do people buy? They don't buy your wonderful presentation.... Read More
The success of a small business depends upon a steady... Read More
Value is in the Eye of the BeholderSales today is... Read More
On an introductory call, your voice is your instrument. During... Read More
When it comes to buying mortgage leads, there are many... Read More
Recently, I wrote about about creating specific, compelling goals that... Read More
Will you do just about anything, including sending out hundreds... Read More
So the other day I'm watching the movie The Matrix,... Read More
I am sure you are familiar with the phrase, "I... Read More
You can always tell a good salesperson, they are always... Read More
This issue's topic was suggested by a sales rep for... Read More
The question: "When should a growing company slow down its... Read More
Sales |