By Bill Ringle
Many of the small business owners who come to the programs report being frustrated with going on sales calls, having the buyer ask them questions, and then never returning their calls.
It’s the trap of “free advice” on sales calls. Has that ever happened to you?
You’re not alone.
Here are five important ways to use this situation to your benefit.
- First, approach these situations with the proper mindset. Above all else, you’ve got to see yourself as a peer with the buyer, whether she is the president of another small business or the president of a Fortune 100 company. You would not be in the meeting unless the buyer recognized that you offer the potential to add value to the conversation.
- Next, as a peer, realize that you don’t have to answer questions the way the buyer’s direct reports or a commodity vendor might. On an equal level, you are not only able to take the question in a different, more productive direction, but you are expected to do so. Early on in a first meeting when a prospect asks something like, “Do you think your marketing plan could include X, Y, or Z?” you might reply, “At this point, I’m not sure a marketing plan is what you need. Would it be OK to ask a few more questions before we talk about a solution?” With permission, you can then proceed to the next step of the process you know will generate results for the client. It’s not just push-back for the sake of push-back, but adding value to the conversation.
- Answer what you would do rather than how you would do it. You can avoid feeling exploited or used if you say, “We’d then configure the wireless router to reduce the dual chokepoints. You’d see a big increase in network speed.” It’s always helpful to reinforce the benefit of hiring you to perform the procedures that you’re expert in. By doing so, you build trust.
- In addition to building rapport and trust, when you answer a prospect’s questions, you’re building reliance on your advice and expertise, which further builds the relationship and likelihood of further projects. Once you’re hired, you can use “free advice” to stimulate other paid projects.
- Know the next step in your process. You obviously can’t spend all day answering questions on a sales call. You need to be clear on what you need from the meeting in order to take the next step. In the business model I teach, you’d need to get the key points of information to send a proposal as the next step following a prospect meeting.
Having conversations with qualified prospects is something the president of a small to mid-sized company should be doing on a regular basis to build the business. Understanding and using these tools will enable you to take a stronger perspective on the process and gain more work.
About the Author:
Entrepreneurs can find more resources to build their business at: www.mybusinessgym.com
Bill Ringle works with business leaders from high tech and professional service entrepreneurs in the Greater Philadelphia region and shares the strategies and tools for accelerating growth through my Business Gym with business leaders from across the United States and in 15 different countries.
