Strategy & Tactics: Rules of the Game

Learn why, when and how to set ground rules when selling

WORDS BY KEVIN HALLINAN

Salespeople often ask me to help them avoid the dreaded “think it over,” knowing it’s bad for business. They also tell me they don’t want to be pushy since they don’t appreciate being pushed by salespeople. However, they still need to be skilled at handling objection. So, what’s my advice?

Learn to Set Ground Rules

Ground rules are set before baseball games at almost every level. Team managers and umpires agree before the game, usually based upon a particular ballpark, what’s considered fair and foul, which balls are ruled out of play and more. For instance, what happens when a ball in play hits a TV camera or a particular section of fence? Is it a home run or a ground-rule double?

Can ground rules apply to selling? Absolutely! Consider this fairly typical scenario:

You’re in your showroom and a prospective customer walks in. Let’s call him Joe. Joe says he just bought a new truck and wants a killer sound system. He tells you he wants to get it soon and he’s heard from friends that you’re good. He says he’s not worried about the money, but he does want to talk prices.

You show Joe around, and using your experience, you recommend the best equipment for the job. You’re professional and enthusiastic in your approach and Joe responds positively. You demo the equipment and he loves it. You believe you’ve hit it off with him, and you’re proud of the advice you’ve just provided. You talk about price and ask Joe if he wants to schedule the installation.

Here it comes. He tells you everything sounds great and he’s excited. The installation date will work. The money is a little high, but doable. He just needs to talk to one more shop, and double-check his budget.

Of course, you go into objection-handling mode. You might ask Joe which shop he’s going to visit, or you might see what else might be holding him back. You

try to get him to commit, but he slowly makes his way toward the door, thanking you for your time. And naturally, he promises to come back. You got Joe’s cell and email, so after a week you call him. He doesn’t pick up. You leave a voicemail, send an email, but he doesn’t respond.

Your heart hopes for the best, but your brain tells you it’s probably over. In fact, studies prove that 96 percent of the time you’re right: Joe’s not coming back!

Why did this happen? You know what you’re doing; you asked the right questions and chose the right components. Joe said everything was great. Where did it go wrong?

At WINNING, Inc. we champion the Sandler Selling methodology. An important Sandler Rules states: “If you want to get better at the end, get better at the beginning.”

We Need A Selling System

The sad reality is that if we don’t have a selling system, our prospective customer surely does. Unfortunately, you didn’t realize it, but Joe had a system for buying. Actually, Joe didn’t realize it

either, but he behaves predictably. His system has recognizable steps and looks like this:

Step 1: Mislead

Most people don’t like or trust salespeople. Those we’ve encountered in the past want our money. Have you ever heard the expression, “You can lie to a salesperson and still make it into heaven”? And why is it that parents never hope their children grow up to be salespeople? Okay, I get it. We’re good, honest people, but prospective customers don’t know that about us. The safer bet is to assume we’re like all the others. So, they mislead us to protect themselves. Sometimes, they mislead just to be nice.

Step 2: Unpaid Consulting

Prospects want their questions answered. They want to know price, installation dates, sometimes technical information, opinions and suggestions, and they want to hear a demo. We want to help. We typically answer those questions, and with passion—after all, isn’t that why we got into the business in the

first place? Think about it: When we’re the buyer, we ask salespeople questions and we expect answers. It just makes sense. Unpaid consulting sometimes doesn’t seem bad, but it is. The modern science of selling demands that we ask LOTS of questions and do little talking. We can actually win more deals if we truly learn to ask questions—and then have the discipline to be quiet while the customer answers.

Step 3: Stall/Think it Over

When all the questions are answered and it’s time to close, too often the response from the buyer is the think-itover. Why? Because they may need more information or might just be politely saying NO (without really saying the word). Remember Step 1? Buyers sometimes mislead because they don’t want to hurt our feelings. Here’s another way to look at it: If they’re ready to buy, they’ll tell you by grabbing their wallet. If they’ve decided against buying from you, it’s much easier to say they want to “think it over,” than it is to say NO to your face.

Step 4: Hide

This one’s simple and straightforward. We follow up like we’re supposed to, and they go dark. No response to our outreach.

Let’s talk technique. In the Sandler Selling method, we call Ground Rules, “Up-Front Contracts.”

When and How to Set Ground Rules

Which ground rules should we set? Four to five, depending upon the situation. Disclaimer: If you don’t like my words, that’s Okay. Choose your own, but don’t change the impact of what we want to achieve with each element. Fair? 1) Time and Agenda – “Thanks for coming in. My name’s Kevin. And yours? Hi, Joe. Are you in a hurry, or do you have 15 minutes?”

2) Prospect’s Role – “Feel free to ask me some questions…”

3) Salesperson’s Role – “Let me do the same…”

4) Outcome (the most important part!) – “And we can figure out if it makes sense to do business. Fair?”

5) Greatest Fear or Concern (we use this one situationally) – “Before we continue, do you mind if I share my only concern? Probably not the case here but sometimes I find that…”

Sounds long, but it’s actually pretty quick. Let’s put it all together.

“Thanks for coming in. My name’s Kevin. And yours? Hi, Joe, are you in a hurry, or do you have 15 minutes? Cool.

Feel free to ask me some questions, let me do the same, and we can figure out if it makes sense to do business. Fair?” Breaking this down, I’ve found out how much time we have, I have permission to ask questions, and we’ve agreed that we may or may not do business. I’ve lowered Joe’s guard and yet we’ve agreed to an outcome. Pretty simple, but very powerful!

Next of course, ask what brought Joe in (what he’s looking for) and ask a ton of questions. Find out his WHY (emotion). Don’t focus yet on components. Why does he want better sound than the factory system? I love questions like, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s wrong with the system that came with the truck?” Then listen. He’ll tell you, and his reasons are more compelling than anything you could say.

After you’ve asked all of your questions, understand his WHY, and have designed his system (on paper or in your head), you’ll want to set another Up-Front Contract before you share the details.

Finalizing the Up-Front Contract

For this discussion, I’m going to make a few assumptions. You’ve learned Joe’s willingness to invest (the amount in dollars he can see himself spending to achieve the sound he wants) as well as how he’s planning to make the decision (like, he doesn’t need to check with a spouse or significant other, and has already talked to any competitors). He’s heard a demo. You asked about his timing and he said soon. You clarified what soon means and you believe that you should close.

At WINNING, Inc. we champion the Sandler Selling methodology. An important Sandler Rules states: “If you want to get better at the end, get better at the beginning.”

The Up-Front Contract would sound like this: “Joe, if you’re open to it, I’d like to show you how I can get you the sound you’re looking for. I’ll go over the components, pricing, installation and everything you need to make a decision. All I would need from you is—as we discussed—that you let me know if you want to move forward or not. If you don’t, that’s okay. I get it; we’re not right for everybody. If you like what you hear, though, we can take a deposit and get you scheduled. Fair?” Again, simple but powerful.

My final piece of advice: This takes practice so that you “own it” and it’s comfortable and conversational. You’ll change a few words to reflect your style, but you’ll still be effective. The bottom line is, make everyone comfortable but set crystal-clear expectations. Customers feel empowered to “think it over” because they’re used to doing so, and we need to nicely but firmly change expectations.

Good selling!