Nobody likes to be sold.
We have all been in that situation, a sales guy calls us you up at the worst time ever, talks for 15min about an ’amazing’ new product he has to offer, and then jumps right into pricing and terms, without ever asking whether we are actually interested.
That is the old way of doing sales.
Not only is cold calling and emailing illegal in many countries (especially with the new GDPR regulation – Read more), it has also become highly ineffective.
In this blog article we will explain how to build a prospect-sales relationship where both parties are actively pushing for a deal – not only you as a salesperson.
Learn how to build how to identify pain points; how to create willingness to spend resources to solve them; how to not waste anybody’s time with upfront contracts, and how to avoid surprises in the deal-closing.
Call #1: The getting to know
Building relationships
In a modern world, where we are constantly targeted by ads (both offline and online) and people trying to sell us all the time, it is all about building lasting relationships.
But how do you build a relationship with somebody who initially has no interest in what you have to offer?
How do you build up your prospect’s interest straight away without pitching your product?
Upfront Agreement: Avoid wasting anybody’s time.
Nothing is worse than spending hours on multiple calls and meetings to then find out that your prospect actually cant afford your solution at all.
Key is to make an upfront agreement with your prospect where you both agree to be open and direct: Not interested? Say it. Not a good fit at the current time. Say it.
Read our E-book to learn in more detail how to make an upfront agreement with your prospect.
Key is: Ask questions and listen.
Many salespeople see the sales pitch as a competition of who can get the most superlative words into one sentence.
What you should be doing is let the prospect talk and shut up.
The very initial conversation should not be about you, it should be about your prospect: What problems is he facing? How much of an impact does that have on his business?
Of course, the whole time you will have your solution in mind and you should drive the conversation towards problems you can solve.
But in this early phase dont try to pitch your solution. Dont talk about pricing. Dont talk about features. Nothing. Its only about your prospect.
Pinpoint the pain.
Once you have identified a pain you can solve, try to identify how much impact that has on your prospect’s business.
Is it a problem that he is actively trying to solve?
Does he have the ressources to solve it?
How much is he willing to spend on it?
If yes, present him shortly with your solution. Be precise and to the point.
Dont over-sell it!
The prospect should have the feeling that he really needs to do something about his situation and that you have the magic pill for all his problems
Agree to have a second call a few days later (not too far in the future, keep the momentum) where you would go into more detail about what you can do for him.
Call #2: Solution, budget and decision
Its been a few days since you last spoke, so its always a good idea to recap your previous conversation. Revisit the pain you discussed before, see if anything has changed about his feelings. He might have done some more research, he might also have found out that internally somebody is already working on a solution.
Make sure he is still interested in solving the problem. Again, important to not ensure you are not wasting your own time. Discuss any questions the prospect might have.
Now it is time to speak in more detail about what you have to offer.
Call #3: Fulfillment
Read our E-Book on how to build a relationship in 3 calls or meetings. Learn how to:
- What questions to ask in each one of the calls
- How to identify and nail your lead’s paint points
- Create an eye-level relationship where both parties are working hard to make a deal (vs. only you chasing the client)
- Identify blockers early and how to circumvent them
- Save yourself time by identifying early on who really needs your solution
