CUTTER CONSULTING GROUP

[746] From Maybe to Yes

May 08, 2024



Why do you think customers often feel the need to consult with someone else before making a purchase?

Why do you think customers often feel the need to consult with someone else before making a purchase? What strategies can salespeople use to make customers feel safe?


When a potential client says they need to consult someone else, it's often a trust issue. They're seeking safety in their decision. Learn strategies to make your clients feel secure and trust your guidance, reducing the need for that "lifeline.


In this episode, I talk about a crucial aspect of the sales process that resonates with many of my listeners: the art of following up when you don't close a deal on the first try.


Learn more about the pitfalls of salespeople who forgo follow-ups, nurturing leads, effective strategies for follow-up, and striking the perfect balance between persistence and patience.


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    Jason:

    What I want to do is talk about two things this week. Now I'm going to try to cover two things. If you've listened to me for a while, you know, I like to go into some detail, give you as much tactics, strategies, background and ideas so that you can use these things, not just like, here's this thing, go use it. And I don't even know why it's going to work, but I want to give you the fundamentals for it. So I don't always get to everything on my list of topics, but let's start with the most important thing. And this is what I hear a lot from people, and this is, I'll tell you why it fits into this hope step and why I'm talking about it now while we're still in the authentic persuasion pathway. We haven't even gotten to closing a deal yet, right. That's going to come up in the next week or two when we get to the fifth and final step of the authentic persuasion pathway.


    Jason:

    But for now, we've got to talk about the biggest thing that a lot of people ask me about, that everyone faces, which is following up. What if you don't close a deal? Right? What happens when you have a conversation with someone and they don't buy on the spot and you have to do some follow up? Now, in most sales environments for most people for what they're selling, rarely ever is it a hundred percent one call close now sometimes it might be a one call close. I've worked in many industries where, uh, when you talk to someone, you can help them on the spot, sign them up for a service. That should happen most of the time, but not all the time. Sometimes people have to check with somebody else, family member, friend. It's always interesting how many people always have a uncle or a relative or a friend that they want to go to has the authority for helping them make decisions no matter what it is they're buying. Right. I've helped people who were in credit card debt get into the various programs for that.


    Jason:

    And it's always interesting when someone says, well, I got to talk to my uncle because he knows a lot about this. Oh, really? Has he done this kind of program? No. Has he ever been in that? No. Like, okay. And it really what that is, that person doesn't feel safe in the moment and they're using a lifeline and they want to talk to somebody else and make sure it's safe. Fundamentally, that means they don't trust you to make them feel safe. And so they're going to somebody who they generally rely on to feel safe. And I won't go into all the details on why that happens, but, uh, you can always hit me up.


    Jason:

    I'm happy to chat with you about why that happens and what you can do about it in the moment, especially how you overcome that kind of objection or obstacle. There's, I wouldn't say there's always a way. There's generally a way to, to address that and help someone feel safe in the moment. So there's, for most people, there's gonna be a follow up. For very few people, they're closing 100% of their sales 100% of the time, in one conversation, one call, one meeting, whatever that looks like, it doesn't happen. And when it does, if that is your mode where you feel like you've gotta close 100% of the people in one meeting on the first shot, my guess is that that's going to lead to a lot of pressure, maybe some manipulation, a lot of the sales tactics and the things that people don't like, uh, from you, the salesperson. And so there's a balance between wanting that urgency, wanting to help people in the moment, and then also needing to follow. The other thing that I've learned, too, is that if a salesperson has a very high one call, one day, one meeting close, right.


    Jason:

    They're closing most all or all of their sales right now. What that also means to me is that they're generally not following up either. So they're not calling anyone else back. They figure if they don't close now, they're never going to close. I don't want to talk to them again. And they're not following up, calling them, sending them messages, checking in with them, and moving them forward in that pipeline. If I think of, let's say, car salespeople, who, if they see that opportunity, when somebody comes onto the dealership lot, they have a chance to sell them. If that person walks away, then they pretty much learn, hey, it's not even worth following up with them, because if they had bought, that was great.


    Jason:

    Otherwise, they're not interested and they may have bought something else. I'm not even going to try to follow up with them. The successful people I know in car sales and in any industry, they're doing that follow ups, they're reaching out to people who didn't buy in this moment, in this meeting, and trying to move them forward, trying to get them to close and move some percentage of that forward.

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By Selling Effectiveness 15 May, 2024
The follow-up interactions in sales is equally as important when it comes to the support of relationships with the clients and prospects. Understanding the importance of follow-ups is one of the keys to the perpetuation of a strong bond and the emergence of trust. Let’s take a look at the role of follow-up tactics in creating lasting relationships, which in turn will lead to improved selling effectiveness. Acknowledging the Impact of Follow-up Communication Interactions in Sales A critical part of closing more sales is developing the skill of effective follow-ups . Through following up with clients after initial interactions, you prove that you care about addressing the needs of the customers, and you also demonstrate your willingness to go the extra mile in order to provide value. Highlighting the importance of the customer-to-customer interactions could differentiate you from competitors and make you more of an advisor instead of a sales representative. Creation of Rapport and Trust by the Regular Follow-ups Consistency is critically important in terms of earning the confidence of customers. You keep in touch with them by arranging regular check-ins to show that you are not only dedicated to their success, but also ready to make an extra effort to help them out. Customized lines that consider the particularity of every customer is an additional element that can reinforce your connection. Building Lasting Client Relationships through Personalized Communication Personalization is a great way to drive engagement with clients. Through identifying your clients' reasons for buying, obstacles, and objectives, it is easier for you to customize your follow-up messages to be appealing to their situation. Building client relationships through customized communication not only shows that you are there for their success, but also increases the chances of closing deals and creating long-term relationships. Crafting Strong Follow-Up Messages You must adjust all of your conversation to correspond with their objectives. Knowing your client’s ‘WHYs’ and how your product or service meets the needs of the client contributes to coming up with effective client follow-ups. One of the initial steps in providing an effectivefollowup message is by underlining the value and benefits that can be enjoyed by the client. Simply make it clear that your purpose is addressing the pain points or facilitating the achievement of their goals. By simply demonstrating that your business provides solutions that serve their goals, it is understood that you are concerned about their needs and are willing to help them out. Also, very important is the fact that following-up should not only be about the 'what', but it should also be about the 'why' behind the follow up - their why for wanting to move forward (not your why for closing the deal, and not what you assume their why is). Through empathizing and showing them you were actually listening, , they will see that you are concerned with their success first, not just your benefit from closing the deal. While following up, rather than sending generic messages, you should try to make the message personal and reflective of what they shared with you. This can help you to explore in-depth the specific needs of clients and show them that you genuinely value them and are interested in them doing well in the future. Even if it is providing additional resources, handling objections, timely follow-ups convey your intention of developing fruitful relationships. Conclusion It is vital for a business to create follow-up methods that allow a balance between sales and relationship effectiveness. Always remember that the main goal of the follow-ups are not just only closing deals, but also adding value to them. Beyond just being an approach, it inherently signifies a way of thinking that when successfully implemented may result to you becoming unique and standing out from the rest
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