In sales, the word “No” is not the issue…wasting our time is!

Why can’t people just come right out and tell a salesperson “No”?

It’s one of the first words we learn as a child, as it should be since we’ve all heard it enough. “No, hot” “No, get out of the street” “I told you No” So why do we forget this when it comes to being adults? Not just adults, but business professionals?

“Half the time men think they are talking business, they are wasting time” – Edgar Watson Howe

In today’s world of rush, rush, rush – wasting time is death in sales. If someone’s NOT going to buy, move on. We don’t make money on the soft yeses or the call me next months. We make money on attaining new clients. Clients that pay, not play.

Tips for NOT WASTING TIME:

1.     Don’t leave any more than 2 or 3 messages for the decision maker. This includes voice and email. One of the things that work for me on the 3^rd message: “I’ve left two messages and instead of wasting your time anymore can you please just respond and tell me if yes or no?” Puts the ball in their court. And, they appreciate the fact that you’re thinking of their time (whether true or not)

2.     Don’t count on the “soft yeses” from someone you may know in the company. The person that thinks your idea is great and so does their boss (the DM). Get it, in writing, from the DM themselves. Insist on talking directly to them. Make sure they know what they are buying.

3.     The “Let Me Think About It” prospects. Simply ask, “What is there to think about? Let’s go over the advantages and disadvantages right now”. As we all know, this person usually just wants to get off the phone. Well, if that’s the case, wrap it up then and see if you even want to be on the phone any more with them.

4.     Invest your time, and or money, in a CRM system. Log your calls. Log your conversations. And call back on the day they asked you to. The Sales Department LLC uses Salesforce.com. It’s customizable, internet-based for multiple users and is very cost effective.

5.     Pull the “competition” card. If you are a company that works exclusively with one business per industry, work that angle. There are always tons more, reputable companies that could use your help. Let your prospect know, subtlety, that you’re aware of that fact. Point is, if you KNOW your service and/or product will give business an advantage, let them know it.

All the above tips come down to one thing….Make sure you set time limits. Make sure YOU know these limits. Make sure your clients and prospects know these limits.

Please contact Sales Department LLC if you can’t find the “time” to increase your revenue!