Random Quote

Tough and funny and a little bit kind: that is as near to perfection as a human being can be. — ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, 1966

No is Easy. Go For Yes

When you call your prospects and dream clients, they always start with the answer “no.” With excellent reason.

Most of the calls they hear make no real value for them and the salespeople making the call lack the ability to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. If the contact has been in their role for any period of time, they have granted appointments to salespeople who, despite talking a excellent game, completely wasted their time once when face-to-face with the contact.

They always start with the answer “no,” and it is a very simple answer to get. To succeed in sales you have to go for “yes.”

Here are three reasons that you may be getting more “no” answers than you should, and what you must do to go for “yes.”

You Didn’t Make Any Value on the Call

If you don’t have something valuable and vital to share with the prospect, you are going to hear far more “no” answers. Too many salespeople believe that calls to “check in” with their prospects are what is necessary to learn if whatever business has changed that might open up an opportunity to discuss working with their prospects. In many cases, things have changed dramatically for the prospect. But what has remained constant is the salesperson’s valueless approach.

Your prospects and dream clients want to spend time with salespeople who can help them achieve their business goals and outcomes. They want to spend time with salespeople who have the ability to make real value. They are rightfully protective of their time, having already had too much of it wasted by salespeople who couldn’t make real value for them and their company.

Your call has to focus on how you are prepared to make value for that client now.

You Failed to Differentiate Yourself on the Call

How many era have you heard: “You are all the same,” or “What makes you uncommon?” For most of us, we compete in crowded a market of very undifferentiated offerings. In order to get your prospect to say yes to a meeting, you have to be able to differentiate yourself and your offering from every other salesperson that sells what you sell and that sounds remarkably similar to you.

It is hard to differentiate yourself. It takes a lot of thought and a lot of trial and error. It also takes a willingness to stand out, a willingness to say things others would have distress saying, and a willingness to take actions others would dread taking.

I dare not leave you here like this without thoughts! Click here.

You Accepted the Test No

When we in sales talk about obtaining commitments and closing, we often talk of the test close. How surprised are you to find out that you prospects have a “test no?” They do.

The first “no” you hear is always a scripted “no” that is used to get rid of all of the pretenders, the glide-by-night salespeople, and all the softies. It has proven to eliminate all of the salespeople who are not at smallest amount somewhat serious about their profession. It eliminates those who lack the ability to make value. And it protects the client’s most precious commodity: their time.

The first “no” is a Test No.

Salespeople who accept the first no have a very hard time scheduling appointments because they don’t try hard sufficient to get to yes. They don’t work at overcoming the client’s objections, and they don’t work at making sufficient value on the call to convince the prospect that they are someone value seeing.

Conclusion

If you are getting too many “no” answers, part of it may be your approach. If the prospect buys what you sell and isn’t disqualified for some other reason, then you have to go for yes. Going for yes means learning to make value on every call, learning to differentiate your offering, and learning not to accept the Test No.

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No is Easy. Go For Yes

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