8-22-2014
A Radio Ink reader asked me to create a blog about what radio account executives should do after a client says ?no.? After putting all of your effort and creativity into a presentation, you would probably rather endure a root canal than hear your prospect say, ?We like your presentation, but??
Understanding why a prospect says no is one of the most valuable steps towards ?yes? in your entire sales process. We have a proven system of 10 things you can do after your client says no, not counting taking hostages until they say yes.
First, recognize that ?no? is a good thing. We often run sales contests where the salesperson who captures the most no?s wins first prize. To qualify for the contest, each sales rep has to authenticate the date the presentation was made, the date it was rejected and document a clear understanding of why the prospect said no. Second prize in our ?no? contest goes to the salesperson who captures the most ?yeses.? Here is what is really cool: The person who captures first prize for the most no?s, always captures the most yeses as well. Always.
She who captures the most no?s will inevitably capture the most yeses.
So before we explore what to do after no, let?s discuss the psychology of no in the selling process. Fear of rejection or hearing ?no? can be a huge attitude killer if not put into perspective. Psychologists know that to manage stress, you should only concern yourself with that which you have direct control over. You have absolutely no control over whether your client says yes or no. What you do have control over is how many times you ask for a sale, and of course the quality of those asks does influence your closing ratio, but you have no absolute control over the outcome.
Success breeds enthusiasm and more success, so it is imperative that you define your success in terms of things you control. If you define success as getting a yes, you?ll inevitably feel like a failure some days. But, if you define success as making X number of pre-qualified, high-quality, customer-focused presentations, you can achieve that goal and feel like a success each day.
By the way, if you get a yes more than 50 percent of the time, do not pat yourself on the back too much. High closing ratios simply mean you?re calling on the easy accounts, or not asking for enough.
One more thing before we address what to do after no, is you need to manage when you get to ?no? When you get a no at the end of your presentation, it simply means there was really a no earlier in the presentation that you did not uncover. If you purposely and tactfully captured a yes on each point in your presentation on the way towards your close, there will be no surprise no?s It?s important for you to encourage agreement, or disagreement, each step of the way during your presentation.
In my next blog, we?ll explore the 10 steps to take after your prospect says no.
Wayne Ens is president of ENS Media Inc and conducts local market surveys and educational advertiser seminars to increase local radio revenues.
(8/22/2014 8:00:19 AM)
"What you do have control over is how many times you ask for a sale, and of course the quality of those asks does influence your closing ratio, but you have no absolute control over the outcome."
Perfect - should be on every salespersons wall. Thanks.
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