Sales, business, and, life, really, are inherently messy processes.
People aren’t clear within one another. People, quite frankly, aren’t clear with themselves. Accidents happen. Mistakes are made. And it’s really no one’s fault in particular because everything is related to everything.
And this creates a bunch of confusion.
But, in the realm of sales, there is a way to cut through the fog. It’s not really true to say that the Sandler Selling System helps you stay in control of the sales process as much as it’s true to say that it helps you have conversations with a purpose, helps buyers make conscious choices, and helps salespeople be truthful with themselves and their sales managers about their performance.
You might say it helps everyone – buyers and sellers, salespeople and their leaders – get sincerely involved in a process that hopefully will make everyone’s life at the end of it, better off, even if it’s the choice to not do business, now or ever.
Human beings are complex people but the way our brains are wired, we can readily predict with reliable accuracy how people will respond in many situations.
Here’s what we know about buyers, since we are them, just as we are sellers: buyers want all the information without any commitment. That’s not an indictment of character, it’s just a fact about most people’s purchasing habits.
And when you’re ready to make a commitment, you want a deal.
So, to stay in control of the sales process, you need to find out how invested they are in finding a solution to their perceived problem. If they just want to poke a stick at it, then keep it moving because it’s a poor use of your energies to spend time with that prospect. They are not qualified.
Yes, it’s tragic that they have a problem and they don’t want to do anything about it but that’s where the following Sandler Rule applies: You Can’t Lose Anything You Don’t Have.
Seriously, you can’t. You never had it in the first place.
So, don’t have an identity crisis (and lose clarity in the process) if they don’t succumb to your influencing powers – they’re not against you, they’re for themselves.
Which brings us back to where we started – the messy world of sales, business, and life. The best way to stay sane, save time, and invest your energy productively is to find out how invested your buyers are in solving their problems and advancing their own aspirations. Don’t settle for less!
Until next time, good selling.
Ryan Kwech
