Many salesmanship business cassette tapes and sales marketing books from Zig Zigglar to Tom Hopkins tell salesmen and women that when the prospect says NO, that is only the starting point. But any good businessman will tell you that you must know when No means NO WAY! And to that point aggravating the potential customer some day in the far off future is indeed a bad move. Sale people should recognize when no means no. They should also remain friends and not allow NO to stick in their minds as a demeaning comment to the product or service they sell or even to themselves; unfortunately many sales people are competitive and often too competitive for their own britches or the health of their companies future. If every sales person makes every NO they get as a personal challenge they will make sales an even more despised profession that it is already perceived to be by so many folks; calling them all used car salesmen and scum. If the sales person will instead take another approach and tell them all right then let me give you my card and tell you all the things we can and cannot do and then you can take all that information and put it in a file if you ever need it okay? Well this is the better approach to a Super Strong NO! And this is the best thing to do to keep open communications and perhaps check back if it seems appropriate at a much later date. Consider all this in 2006. |
