May 27, 2009
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SANDLER RULES:
The Problem the Prospect Brings You is Never the Real Problem
Too many salespeople rely on a false premise as they attempt to “qualify” and develop a selling opportunity. The false premise they rely on sounds like this: “Prospects understand their own problems well enough not only to recognize what created those problems, but also to identify suitable solutions when they team up with a salesperson who’s willing to ask a few probing questions.”
It sounds implausible when you put it into words, doesn’t it? Yet this is precisely the assumption under which most salespeople operate.
Have you ever taken a prospect’s “diagnosis” of a problem at face value? It’s very easy to do. The more complex the problems are, and the more pressing they seem to be, the less likely it is that prospects will have invested the time to look beyond the symptoms to identify the origins of the problems. This is true even if the prospect knew what to look for, which is, as we know, very often not the case.
The next time you are tempted to accept a prospect’s
assessment of a problem — don’t.
The next time you are tempted to accept a prospect’s assessment of a problem — don’t. Relying on prospects in this way is a bad idea. When we do this, we may “buy in” to the prospects’ perceptions about their problems, which rarely touch on the real causes, and are often (let’s face it) delusional. In addition, we may find ourselves accepting the prospect’s focus on apparent “solutions” to improperly diagnosed problems — “solutions” that will be, at best, premature and, at worst, entirely inappropriate.
As professional salespeople, we must have comprehensive knowledge not only about the products and services we sell, but also of the current and potential problems and challenges of the prospects on whom we call. We must know how to diagnose prospects’ perceived problems — by looking beyond the symptoms and identifying the underlying causes, the real problems to be addressed. If we don’t bring that knowledge with us on a sales call, it is unlikely that we will find it when we shake hands with the prospect.
Excerpted from the Amazon.com best-seller,
The Sandier Rules: 49 Timeless Selling Principles and How to Apply Them
Copyright ©2009 Sandler Systems, Inc.
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