Have the courtesy to tell it like it is...

Salespeople - of all levels - have an Achilles' heel. For the most part, they want to be liked. They want to develop a relationship with their respective clients. They want to succeed/win/close business/etc. So, other than wanting to be liked, how are these others a weakness?

Simple - they force behavior we consider suboptimal. Namely, most of the salespeople we see will avoid discussions that could be perceived as either confrontational, controversial or where the dialogue tells them something they don't want to know (e.g. like there is still a lot of work to do before the client will buy - or that there isn't a hope that the client will buy). This is manifested by glossing over or pushing through discussions - even in the presence of glaring evidence that the process should halt and the issue addressed.

Let's try an example. I once worked with a salesperson in the software consulting industry. I joined the salesperson on a client call. During this meeting, I had a very real sense that the meeting was going nowhere - fast. It was evident that the client was becoming irritated. Yet the intrepid salesperson sojourned on, pitching, assuming and otherwise annoying all those in the room (yours truly included). Following the meeting, I asked the salesperson how he thought he had performed. Amazingly he said that he felt the client was annoyed. He had picked up on the client's cues yet did nothing about it during the meeting itself. I asked what he thought he should have done. Again, surprisingly, the salesperson indicated that he should have found a way to identify and address the concern. The simple question - "What prevented you from stopping the meeting and doing just that?!?!?".

So here is the deal. If you are getting the overwhelming sensation that the meeting is going nowhere - then find a way to validate this with the client. (i.e. Gee, Mr. Client, I have to stop here for a moment. We have been talking for a while about X but I have the sense at this point that what I am saying may not be resonating with you? Is this accurate?" - If the client says "No" then validate/confirm this - as they may just be polite. If it is just a bad read on your part - proceed cautiously. If the answer is "Yes" then you need to stop. You may want to pull away a little "So, should we stop here?, what isn't working for you at this point?, what do you think we should do?".

I believe this is showing the client a hell of a lot more courtesy and consideration than simply muscling through a meeting. I would suggest trying this in some safe situations. You will need to get used to saying what you are thinking (with consideration of course). For example - if you are thinking "this guy is an a**hole" it may not be wise to say "I get the sense that you are an a**hole, how do you feel about that?". Instead, if you get the feeling that something isn't right - identify what it is that isn't right, find a way to articulate this in a considerate and courteous manner and then seek - from the client - how this issue should be addressed.

The interesting thing is that clients will respect you more for your honesty, your perceptiveness and the collaborative nature to resolving an issue - a lot more than pushing forward with your agenda.

That's all I have for now. And by the way, this works great in all facets of interpersonal interactions.

Go out there any have some fun.

Cheers,

Steve


P.S. Free sales training videos can be found at http://www.professionalsellingnetwork.com