sales "tough calls" by josh gordon - book overview

Tough Calls:

Selling Strategies to Win Over Your Most Difficult

Customers

Part I

Overview

Author Josh Gordon conducted a national survey that consisted of 3 separate mailings and received over 1,000 responses

Tough Calls focuses on behavior of clients FIRST and recommends selling approaches directed toward that behavior

Every client, even current, has the potential to become a “problem client”

Why Understand This?

1 of 6 clients in the USA is a problem client Services have more problems than products The percent of your problem clients depends

on your selling style Problem clients account for 1/3 of job

related stress! 27.4% of a sales manager’s time is spent

discussing problem clients with salespeople

Book is designed…

Most frequent to least frequent problem clients Divided into 3 sections to help you…

Pitfalls Selling Strategies Closing Strategies

Some strategies purposely contradict Designed to help you for a variety of clients

Not designed to be used all at once or sequentially

Survival & Opportunity- Pg 205

“If every client you had handed you an order without a fight, salespeople and client contact professionals would be unemployed.”

“A sales territory without problem clients is a territory without opportunity.”

The Client Who…Grinds You On Price

Most frequent problem client- get a lower price Pitfalls:

Getting so focused on price you forget to sell your product

Discussing price first Wasting time on a customer who is not serious Thinking the buyer is a pain in the neck


Selling Strategies: When asked for a concession, ask for something

in return Every price grinder has a boss Keep it personal Find out what your client really wants Sell value Differentiate your product from competitors Never negotiate over the phone Do NOT give in to every price demand


Closing Strategies: If you make a price concession, close on it! Make a non-price concession… close on it! Close with NO concessions

Could be the fairest way possible More flexible negotiations will favor bigger accounts

The Client Who…Will Not See You

There are salespeople… you are just not one of them You have to get in

Pitfalls: Taking it personally Becoming a nuisance… pest vs. persistence? Giving up


Selling Strategies: Ask yourself, “Why would I see me?” Send a non-sales-related item and see if it arrived Call early in the morning or after 5pm Worship the secretary Make a non-sales contact to help you get in Ask yourself questions… Say, “I’ll be in the building, can I come see you?”


Closing Strategies: Be specific Promise a benefit Think about the next time

The Client Who…Has No Buying Authority

Watch out for “information gatherers” who channel info to the right people

Pitfalls: Assuming the person you’re meeting has authority Thinking the person is insignificant Going over the person’s head


Selling Strategies: Motivate the buyer to admit he/she has no authority Become a sales trainer Prove it on paper Go over her head… When? How?


How do you get a commitment from someone who cannot make one?

Closing Strategies: Put all the info in writing & send multiple copies Be very sensitive to timing

“When will the decision be made?” “Whom else will you be meeting with?” “When will you be meeting?”

The Client Who…Loves What You Say Then Does Not Buy

This buyer finds it easier to give no resistance, then buys elsewhere

The call may seem TOO easy or TOO nice Pitfalls:

Mistaking the call for a relationship sell Assuming the sale is a “go” because there are no

objections


Selling Strategies: Bring up the objections yourself Consider this person may not be here for long Nail down the level of commitment BEFORE

leaving the room Ask for the order Ask about a timeline Find a way to continue the dialogue


Closing Strategies: Be direct & ask for specifics Treat it like a normal sale

The Client Who…Complains About Everything

Pitfalls: Agreeing with the complainer about your product

and company Thinking of this as real complaining


Selling Strategies: Set the buyer up to work for you Ask yourself, “What kind of attention does the buyer

really want?” Smoke out real complaints from “show” complaints Minimize the importance of the complaint


Closing Strategies: Say, “I understand the concern you have; if it were

resolved, would you buy?” Shoot the attention to your competitors for awhile Take all complaints head on

The Client Who…Says, “It’s not in the budget.”

Pitfalls: Taking the “no money” at face value Offer a rate concession Trying a prestige sell


Selling Strategies: Position your product as a financial benefit Ask for a test or trial period Help your client find the money Offer a guarantee involving money Limit the chit-chat


Closing Strategies: Put it in terms of money

How we will save you money How we will make you more money

Put the numbers in writing

The Client Who…Is Indecisive

Pitfalls: Pushing when there is clear resistance Not reading the objections emotionally Losing patience


Selling Strategies: Give a deadline to buy Sell the idea that a specific sale is given Start asking for an order 6 months in advance See the client in person


Closing Strategies: Prepare for a massive close Ask, “Do you want a blue one or a green one?” Tell the buyer no and take a stand

Tough Calls:

Selling Strategies to Win Over Your Most Difficult

Customers

Part II

The Client Who…May Cancel The Order

Things change Pitfalls:

Letting the romance get stale Looking at the “intent to buy” as a “done deal” Avoiding talk about the competition


Selling Strategies: Keep the romance alive Do NOT stop selling Monitor your competition Check for romance decay Say Thank You


Closing Strategies: Sell up: the best defense is a good offense Get a verbal commitment for anticipated business Find out who is the top supplier

The Client Who…Buys Elsewhere: Likes a Competitive Product

Do not slam the current product It questions the judgment of the buyer

Find out why the client bought the product in the first place

Pitfalls: Putting your client on the defensive

The client is committed emotionally to the other product Going into a sale without being prepared


Selling Strategies: Give a comparative, not competitive, presentation Differentiate your product Get the client more excited about the product Get invited to make a hard competitive presentation


Closing Strategies: Give the buyer a way out

That was then this is now The “Whole new ball game” approach Things are not what they used to be

Let’s keep the current supplier on his toes Someday the client may need a backup supplier

The Client Who…Buys Elsewhere on Relationships

Pitfalls: Getting competitive before you

have proved yourself Chasing every trivial objection Giving up too early

Example: Frog Cartoon


Selling Strategies: Build your own relationship

4 types of relationship buyers and ways to start “I buy from the organization that sends me the most

credible representative” Emphasize professionalism and product knowledge

“I buy from the people I trust” Give some kind of preferential treatment or attention


Selling Strategies Cont… “I buy from people who are my friends”

Begin with entertaining “I buy from the representative who helps me look

good Bring value added services, etc to the table

Envision yourself turning the account around Could take time… like years Relationships aside… business is business Get involved with your client’s peers Monitor the relationship you are up against


Closing Strategies: Ask for a level playing field Use the “join the club” close Entertain, ask for the order, take care of the

details back at the office

The Client Who…Is Indifferent

Key is to get into the buyer’s head Pitfalls:

Trying to control the call too much Thinking the call is going badly because the client

does not seem to be listening Not customizing the call for your client


Selling Strategies: Prepare for a unique call

Show up with an interesting, stand-out presentation Call ahead Ask yourself, “Has the client heard it all before?” Start by asking questions and being responsive

Present your product in terms of the client’s business Ask a question you know the answer to Ask yourself, “Is this the right person to sell to?”


Closing Strategies: Develop a more personal relationship Just keep showing up

The Client Who…Is Hard To Read

This client gives no feedback A call without feedback is no call at all Pitfalls:

Trying to get the client involved by talking more Assuming you have made the sale because there

has been no feedback Feeling uncomfortable


Selling Strategies: Ask an open ended question and just stop talking Get the buyer to talk about anything Start your call by asking questions SPIN them


Closing Strategies: Close on your client’s demographics Time the close with no feedback

The Client Who…Gets Angry Over Mix-ups

Pitfalls: Not trying to use it to your advantage Letting the problem linger longer than it has to Blaming it on the other guy Asking your boss to handle it

The Client Who…Gets Angry Over Mix-ups

Selling Strategies: Defuse the anger

Tell the buyer, “You’re right.” Ask for the details of the problem Make a personal commitment to solve the problem

Ask what the client wants Stay on top of the situation until it is resolved Write a letter

The Client Who…Does Not Like Your Company

This is going to count against you Find out where the perception came from Pitfalls:

Joining your client in griping about your company Defending your company as being perfect Thinking your company is worse than it is


Selling Strategies: Build a positive buzz Become your whole company Take someone from the home office on a road trip Find out why…

Client had a bad experience Old salesperson was an idiot You have been smeared by a direct competitor Bad news from Wall Street An old problem was not really “solved”


Closing Strategies: Offer a “screw up” guarantee Close him on the product you are selling

sales "tough calls" by josh gordon - book overview

Business

client contactprofessionals

price selling strategies

problem client services

price closing strategies

frequent problem clients

lower price pitfalls

price grinder

price demand