You probably have observed a great deal of difference of attitudes with your friends, your family and perhaps with customers. You also might have heard that people buy from people they like. Here’s some additional insight while slightly correcting that observation. How can you safely disagree in sales and continue to be liked? You may not know how to deal with people who disagree with you.
The reality is somewhat different about why customers buy.
Yes, people do buy from people they like. But they don’t only buy from people they like. I had a customer who hated the salesman he had to buy from. This salesman talked very, very slowly in a monotone and according to my customer had a creepy smile. This salesman also looked somewhat odd. Imagine a guy today parting his hair down the middle and then slicked it down. That’s what he did.
My customer ended up buying from this salesman as much as he did not want to buy from him. Why? This salesman had the lowest price and because this was a public entity he was forced to buy from the lowest bidder. Even if customers like you they may not be able to buy from you.
Be careful when customers say something you disagree with.
You might be stumped as to what you should do when you hear something you disagree with. The time to be ready with a plan is before you hear something with which you disagree. I think it’s risky to introduce your point of view when you don’t know how the person will respond. In fact, I have never heard someone say, “Please tell me more” when I knew they had a different opinion.
The safest alternative is not to engage so you don’t take the bait. Simply change the subject. Say something neutral, like, “Yes, I’ve heard that.” Then move on to business. Most people will understand you don’t want to engage.
Another alternative if you really want to learn more.
Another alternative when you hear something you disagree with is to ask them to tell you more. Be sure to speak in a neutral voice. You are asking them to explain to you why they believe what they do. You may hear some very strange answers. Then you can simply reply, “That’s interesting.” Next, you change the subject and get back to business.
Don’t expect that you’re going to change your customer’s mind. I’ve found very little interest in people seriously wanting to learn other people’s opinions. Consider yourself lucky if you meet a customer who is truly intellectually curious and wants to hear what you think.
It would greatly help your sales career if you learn to be comfortable hearing opinions you disagree with. You really have to be curious to learn more and be able to avoid attacking others’ ideas. After all, isn’t learning what you don’t already know from your customer the essence of sales?
ADD TO YOUR SELLING SKILLS:
Power Persuasion Strategies: Influence a Customer to Buy
There are simple and effective ways to incorporate more persuasion strategies in sales as you work with prospects and customers. All too often, sales professionals think all they have to do to persuade a customer to buy is to offer enough data. They think that will result in a buying decision. In this course you learn why this strategy often fails and what to do instead so you can be a more powerful and effective sales persuader.