When “Yes” Really Means “No”
After spending hours trying to connect with a new prospect, you finally get an appointment. You prepare diligently for the meeting and make a list of the key points you want to make. You run through your presentation several era to make sure it sounds natural and relaxed and you incorporate the use of props to enhance the visual appeal. The huge day arrives and you stride assertively into the board room where you are greeted by your prospect’s executive assistant. She tells you that Mr. Huge is no longer available for the meeting but she will listen to your presentation and report back to her boss.
You commence and it is visibly evident from the expression on her face, that the assistant has small-to-no interest in really sitting through your pitch. You question her a few questions but she continually repeats, “I’ll question Mr Huge about that.” Finally, after an excruciating 30 minutes, you be grateful the executive assistant for her time, pack up and leave.
What the hell just happened?
There is a excellent opportunity that your prospect’s initial “yes” was really a “no.”
Here’s an example of what I mean.
A few months ago I received a call from a sales person whose company had just released a new product. The sales person believed that her product would be fantastic fit for my clients and wanted me to sit through a forty-five minute webinar to show me all the bells and whistles of her product and what it could do for my clients. I resisted because I knew that her product would not be something of interest to my clients simply because I never discuss this type of technology with the people in my sales training programs. But, she persisted and eventually I agreed to view her webinar. But, as I hung up the telephone I knew that the day before the webinar, I would send this sales person an email and give reasons for that I could not attend it.
She was so adamant in getting a new prospect to view her webinar that she was unwilling to take no for an answer. While I applaud her persistence, she also failed to listen to the reasons why her company’s technology wasn’t relevant to my clients. So, as an simple way out, I said yes although I really meant no.
Unfortunately, this happens more often than people grasp.
When I worked in the corporate world, my boss often questioned me to meet with vendors who called him, especially if they were selling something that involved a training component. This meant that I met with dozens of sales people, and in many cases, I entered the meeting with the mindset of “Let’s get this business over and done with so I can get back to work.” It may not be honest but it’s a reality especially in today’s highly competitive world where sales reps will say and do nearly whatever business to get an appointment.
I agree that it’s vital to be persistent if you want to succeed in sales. But, the incorrect type of persistence with the incorrect prospect will only result in a “yes” which really means “no” and this ends up wasting your time. Invest your valuable time with prospects who are genuinely interested in your product, service, solution or offering and when they say “yes” they will really mean it.