"People tell me No - what do I say?"
Listening to Jeb Blount on a podcast. Apparently he gets asked this question, more than any other.
Thank you are the words you're looking for, Jeb.
Not for Jeb
. though, the courtesy of an appropriate "Thank You."
No Sir.
Ignore the clues that your pitch wasn't good enough.
Persist. Handle the bigger objection.
Persist. Ignore the red herring.
Keep persisting. Overcome the micro-objections.
One More with feeling.
Persist. And there we have it.
Five times a charm.
Objections, his latest book, deals with the 'sting' surrounding rejection and how to 'get past No - so that you can get what you want.'
Just like children that keep 'asking', until they get what they want, persistence has always been one of my core values.
But there needs to be a reality check, once in a while.
Overall, the tone of the conversation was one of "What's in it for me? How do I get what I want?"
Rather than what's best for the client.
It might be unfair to base my opinion on a 40 minute conversation the author had about his book, but I have this fundamental problem.
If your presentation has been as good as it could possibly be and you still get a no, then there is work to be done.
Unless, of course, your attitude is that of a Jeb Blount. Push, push, push, push, push, next!
I get it. I really do.
A sales culture that wants everything. And they want it now.
And they keep asking and asking.
The irony is that one of their competitors, on this occasion, did it better.
Some you win, some you lose. Devil take the hindmost.
If it's a sales culture you're after, then my recommendation would be to go with the little-known Oren Klaff.
His book, Pitch Anything, is diametrically opposed to Objections.
Make your pitch. Make it great.
And then withdraw.
Get people to chase you. Not have you chasing (and begging) people.
It's a truth that we often desire things we can't have.
And chase things that run away from us.
So if you're exclusive, unique, or hard-to-get, you will be in demand.
More than someone, or some business, that is a commodity.
Talking of commodity, most estate agents have been conditioned to chase after every lead with a warm pulse.
To hustle and to 'beg'.
Guess what?
The 'leads', as they are so affectionately known, run away.
Are you that desperate?
Have you so little self-worth that you willingly chase after people, getting told no time after time, until you can celebrate the one or two successes.
Rinse, wash, repeat.
Daily.
Is it a stretch of the imagination to have people seeking out you, and your company? Rather than living on the edge?
People who pay attention to you. Have enrolment in whatever it is you deliver.
Who trust you.
And who give you permission to engage.
It boils down to whether you're competing in a Sales Culture.
Or standing out in a Relationship Culture.
One or the other. You can't do both.
And for all those that have signed up for the competitive Sales Culture option, here's when you lose:
The Relationship Culture involves loyalty.
"Loyalty is when people are willing to turn down a better product or a better price to continue doing business with you. Loyal customers often don't even bother to research the competition, or entertain other options." -Simon Sinek
Thanks as always for reading.
Happy to hear from you whether you vehemently disagree, or think this makes sense.
Drop me a line:
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