Has selling really changed in the past several years? Are people just too busy today to have a conversation with someone who can help them increase their business? You would be amazed how many times I hear on the phone from prospects, "I'm just too busy to discuss this." So I follow up with, "Are you too busy to discuss how I can bring you more customers?" or "Are you too busy if I can show you how you can solve a major business challenge today?" Whatever - the point is - are people really to busy or stressed to consider options that will benefit them or are they just turned off by anyone, no everyone, trying to sell them something?
I have heard from hundreds of clients over the years things like, "Thank you for sticking with it." "Thanks for all your effort to sell us." Etc. But I have often asked, "What if I hadn't stuck with it, you would have never known the benefits you have enjoyed." They all agree.
I have heard from hundreds of clients over the years things like, "Thank you for sticking with it." "Thanks for all your effort to sell us." Etc. But I have often asked, "What if I hadn't stuck with it, you would have never known the benefits you have enjoyed." They all agree.
So why are people so quick to shut salespeople off or down and just say anything to get rid of them? Is it fear of having their issues brought to the surface? Is it a concern that they know what their problems are, but want to stay in denial? Or is it something more simple?
Well I can tell you, that after spending over 40 years of my life selling that sometimes it's more complicated, but most often it's just a lame excuse used to avoid discussing their challenges with a stranger.
Let me ask you - if you had a serious business or personal challenge or problem and someone came to you with a practical and acceptable solution from your point of view, would you give them a chance to share it with you or at least just listen respectively? I'm sure most of you would say yes. Well, that's not my experience.
Do people fail to listen to practical solutions out of ego or is there something else going on?
Here's what I think the answer is and this is true more today than it was ten or twenty years ago. Back in the good old days, I never had problems getting to business owners or CEO's or President's of large organizations. Why is that? Was I better than others who were selling? Nope. Was I smarter than other salespeople? Not in the least. Did I work harder than other sales professionals? No. So why was it easier then? For starters there were fewer options or choices customers had to solve their problems than are available today. Secondly, relationships were easier to establish and maintain than they are today and I believe this is all due to people's heavy reliance on technology. And thirdly, there were fewer distractions - again technology.
Back in the good old days (and I'm using this term very loosely) people didn't spend in excess of 80-100 hours a month at or on a plug-in or battery powered device. So, you say, this is good, it makes things easier? Well, I'm not sure I would totally agree with you.
I have also found that people are not as respectful or friendly, in general when it comes to dealing with strangers. Yes, there will always be rude and friendly people no matter what but I'll tell you in the past two weeks I have had no fewer than a dozen people just hang up on me as soon as I started my conversation with them or within the first minute.
Now please keep in mind, I'm not a pushy aggressive sales type and I always try and inject humor into the conversation early but this just doesn't work the way it did years ago - again why?
Let me summarize with a few personal thoughts.
One - Stress is at an all-time high for most people today.
Two - People are more easily distracted today than at any time in history.
Three - People are far too cluttered with too many options due to the tremendous amount of easily obtained information available today.
Four - Free or cheap seems to be the common mantra for a lot of folks today.
And five - Everyone wants it brief; give me your elevator speech, please just summarize your message in a few words, keep it brief, etc.
I'll leave you with a thought - do you want an elevator speech from your physician when you are having heart issues? I seriously doubt it.
Article Source: Tim Connor
Well I can tell you, that after spending over 40 years of my life selling that sometimes it's more complicated, but most often it's just a lame excuse used to avoid discussing their challenges with a stranger.
Let me ask you - if you had a serious business or personal challenge or problem and someone came to you with a practical and acceptable solution from your point of view, would you give them a chance to share it with you or at least just listen respectively? I'm sure most of you would say yes. Well, that's not my experience.
Do people fail to listen to practical solutions out of ego or is there something else going on?
Here's what I think the answer is and this is true more today than it was ten or twenty years ago. Back in the good old days, I never had problems getting to business owners or CEO's or President's of large organizations. Why is that? Was I better than others who were selling? Nope. Was I smarter than other salespeople? Not in the least. Did I work harder than other sales professionals? No. So why was it easier then? For starters there were fewer options or choices customers had to solve their problems than are available today. Secondly, relationships were easier to establish and maintain than they are today and I believe this is all due to people's heavy reliance on technology. And thirdly, there were fewer distractions - again technology.
Back in the good old days (and I'm using this term very loosely) people didn't spend in excess of 80-100 hours a month at or on a plug-in or battery powered device. So, you say, this is good, it makes things easier? Well, I'm not sure I would totally agree with you.
I have also found that people are not as respectful or friendly, in general when it comes to dealing with strangers. Yes, there will always be rude and friendly people no matter what but I'll tell you in the past two weeks I have had no fewer than a dozen people just hang up on me as soon as I started my conversation with them or within the first minute.
Now please keep in mind, I'm not a pushy aggressive sales type and I always try and inject humor into the conversation early but this just doesn't work the way it did years ago - again why?
Let me summarize with a few personal thoughts.
One - Stress is at an all-time high for most people today.
Two - People are more easily distracted today than at any time in history.
Three - People are far too cluttered with too many options due to the tremendous amount of easily obtained information available today.
Four - Free or cheap seems to be the common mantra for a lot of folks today.
And five - Everyone wants it brief; give me your elevator speech, please just summarize your message in a few words, keep it brief, etc.
I'll leave you with a thought - do you want an elevator speech from your physician when you are having heart issues? I seriously doubt it.
Article Source: Tim Connor
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