Whatts too pushy?

f wonx wrrH sALESpEopLE EVERv oRy who have bad tapes Iplaying in their heads. They think they are too pushy (or too something), so at the moment of truth (really many moments of truth over and over...) they hold back, or say they'll call back, or wait for the call back, or etc. While these salespeople are waiting for the call back, another, bolder salesperson swoops in and takes the business.

How Much Is Too Much?

Some customers can be pushed harder than others. Some customers want to be pushed. Some customers want to negotiate. Some customers just want to use us for a number and buy from the other guy. (It sure is funny how they don't call us pushy when they want us to help them find something or work up a proposal for them.)

I teach that we have to ask for the order five times in closing situations. Most salespeople don't even ask once. Setting up the moment of close and when and how to close are important also, but more important is the will to close. Our timing will improve if we work at it, but nothing about closing will become easier or better if we don't ask for the order enough. Five times may seem like a lot to the uninitiated, but if we are indeed in a closing situation, five times is appropriate. How we ask for the order five times is the "art" pafi of what we do. Our art will become better the more we practice it.

Salespeople Are...

I have many of the groups I work with do this exercise. Split a page into two columns. On the leffhand side write down all the negatives about salespeople-pushy,liars, talk too much, etc. When we are done with the negatives-it doesn't take long-on the right give a positive connotation to each of words in the negative column. Not the opposite, but a positive connotation. This usually takes longer.

Negative Pushy

Liar Greedy

Talks too much

Self-centered Wholesaler

You're shorting the market

Positive Persistent Creative, visionary Provider Informational Seltreliant Supplier, partner l'm taking the risk out of the market for you.

"Liar" always causes much discussion. Are we encouraging salespeople to lie? Absolutely not. But we are asking them to be creative. If someone hands us a bag of feces, we can call it fertilizer.

My point is that so many sellers are saying, "Nope, sorry, can't do that." Which is the truth, but it's alazy truth. They should be saying, "We can't do it exactly the way you are asking, but our solution has worked for many in your situation, let's put this together."

More harmful than the prejudiced ideas of our customers are our own prejudices about selling and salespeople. Ninety-nine percent of the salespeople I have known are hard-working, honest people. So many sellers are ashamed of what they do for living. How can we ask for the order if we are ashamed? How can we push through tough negotiations if we think we are taking advantage? We can't.

Customers say to me (usually when they're trying to get me to do something for less), "Oh, James, you're such a salesman." I say, "Yes,I am and proud of it." Or they'Il tell me I am "selling" them when I am merely giving them my opinion. I reply, "If, when I give you my opinion, it's selling, then when you give me your opinion it's also selling. We are both selling each other." Some customers try to get mad, but as they realize it's true, it changes the negotiation. Words matter. If we let others define us with their prejudices, then they control our income. If every time we ask for the order our customer says, "Wow, you sure are pushy" and we back off, we give that customer a button to control us. If instead we respond, "Bob, I'm not pushy, I just really believe in this deal, and I reallv believe it will work for you."

As leadership sellers we define ourselves and then deliver on that definition.

James Olsen Reality Sales Training (503) s44-3s72 james@