Different Perspectives: Is Sales Really About Getting to “Yes”?
Here’s a uncommon perspective for you: I reckon that a successful sales career is based less on your ability to get people to say “Yes” and more on your ability to get to “No” quicker and more often.
Unless you want to be the kind manipulative salesperson that all likes to despise, you can’t really “get” someone else to say yes. If you were one of those types, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article to commence with. Those kind of mouth-breathing bottom feeders are not typically the kind to hang out here, trying to become a better caliber of salesperson. They’re more likely to spend their time on “yellow-highlighter” pages, learning the latest mind-control sales tips.
If you’re here, reading posts by the likes of Skip Anderson and Tibor Shanto and Cindy King (and all the other incredible minds that hang out here on the SBU), I’m guessing it’s because you want to be the kind of salespeson that’s admired and respected by your employers, peers and customers. If that’s right, you have to become a master of getting people to say “No” as quickly and efficiently as doable. Why? Because in most cases the alternative to “No” is not “Yes”; it’s one of the 1001 variations of “Maybe” that prospects learn in “Sales Avoidance” class.
We all know that getting to “Yes” is the ultimate goal in a sales situation. ”Yes” is what pays the bills. ”Yes” is what makes all the “No”s worthwhile. ”Yes” is what we dream of at night. ”Yes” is every salesperson’s favorite word, no doubt about it. It’s just that hearing it is such an infrequent occurence, compared to the number of era we hear “No”, that we sometimes fall into the trap of believing that “Maybe” is a excellent substitute.
Hear this: “Maybe” is not your friend. In fact, “Maybe”, left unchecked, will kill your career. ”Maybe” will keep you guessing indefinitely and chasing opportunities that have the same likelihood of converting to sales as my chances of winning on American Idol.
You know what I’m talking about: you make your presentation and the prospect says, “Thanks for your time…We need to reckon it over,” and off you go, thinking you’ve really got a shot. You call in a few days to “follow up” and the prospect says they are still thinking things over. You call back after a few more days, and you get voicemail. You leave a message, it never gets returned, and you just keep up the illusion, all the while telling your manager that you’ve got a “really excellent feeling” about this one. Wouldn’t it be better for all if the prospect had just said “No”?
Of course it would. It would have freed you up to go after all the other thousands of prospects out there who really want to buy your product from you. It would have prevented all that frustrating wheel-spinning. It would have made you a better saleperson because it would have caused you to analyze what you could have done differently to increase your chances at getting a “Yes” next time out.
Want to be a better salesperson? Stop obsessing about “Yes” and never, under any circumstances, settle for “Maybe”. As a replacement for, become a master of getting to “No” better, quicker and more frequently. Because believe me, the more era you here “No”, the closer you are to hearing “Yes”.
And if you want to become a master of getting to “No”, check out my blog over the coming week. I’m going to be posting a run called “5 Ways To Get the 2nd Best Answer”, all about mastering the art of “No”. Come on over and learn to like the sound of “No”!