Prospects want more leadership from you when being sold to

Question

We talk a lot about how non-sales professionals might feel during sales interactions. How do you think that prospects and clients feel? What do you think they are looking for when they are trying to purchase something from a professional? What benefits might there be if the relationship gets off on the right foot? In this video, Rod answers these questions and more…

Answer

I think in most instances when a prospect comes to see a professional they are seeking a sense of leadership. They are looking for a guide.

I like to use the hiking analogy. If you go on a hiking trip with a group, to a trail that you don’t know, you hire a guide to take you from where you meet to where you want to end up and then to take you safely back to where you started.

And I think that in most relationships between prospects and professionals there needs to be some kind of leadership, there has to be somebody in charge. And if the consultant or the professional doesn’t take on that role then the prospect has no choice other than take it upon themselves to be the leader. And that is something that is probably not going to help you.

Like a guide on a hiking trip you want to be able to trust that leader to take you to places you don’t have knowledge of where to go. And immediately once that dynamic is established you become a lot more open to guidance and open to recommendations and open to questioning.

And I think that’s the kind of leadership that people as professionals, sometimes they lack, because they often leave the clients to make up their own minds a little bit. Or in the interest of choice, give them too many options.

Whereas I think professionals need to take control of their interactions. Not necessarily command people to do things – because that’s the old way, but open the clients up, try to understand more about what they are looking for. Listen to them, empathise and in so doing then earn the right to be able to recommend something. And have that recommendation be taken more openly because the prospect believes that you do understand who they are and what they want and what concerns them.

And when that is accomplished you have better relationships being formed, and more agreement. And not only in the sales situation where you are trying to get somebody to agree to something that you are offering, but also in the service relationship where the client needs to be clear on what the expectations are and that you are not perfect, and that you are able to give them a realistic perspective on what’s available and what to concern themselves about.

So when you open up the channels of communication everything just tends to work a lot better. I have often found that despite one’s level of service or the aims one has in order to do the very best they can, you are always going to make mistakes. And I find that clients who have gone through this process, having been listened to, having put more trust in the person who is working with them… they are much more tolerant to the mistakes that you make. And when that happens little mistakes don’t blow up into big grievances.

And when that’s contained, your relationships continue for much longer than what otherwise might have continued. And your word of mouth improves because despite you not being perfect, they are happy with you. They trust you and are more than happy to communicate to their friends when there is someone like you that is required. They are more than happy to recommend you.