When it comes to persevering upon others to get them to agree to our demands, we feel that it can be done with small ‘yeses’ that gradually grow into acceptance of bigger things. However, this is not the only and the most powerful way of getting others to accede to our requests. ‘No’ plays a much more important role in such discussions. What I am sharing below is the significance of a ‘no’ in the initial part of a sales discussion.
It is highly advisable for salespersons to extract a ‘no’ from a client or a customer in the beginning of the meeting. A ‘no’ gives a sense of authority and power to the customer that he/she has refused us a request. A negative, further satisfies the hidden or apparent need of a client, customer or any person for that matter, to not to change the status quo. It implies that no effort will be required form his/her end to acquire a particular product or service.
When a customer refuses our suggestion, he/she usually means that he/she cannot afford the product or service; he/she wants more information about the product/service; he/she wants to discuss the decision with someone; and that he/she is not comfortable and ready yet to make the purchase. Therefore, a ‘no’ in the initial part of the discussion opens avenues for further discussion. A good salesperson will pick up any of the above assumptions and encourage the customer/client to address those with the salesperson’s help. Hence a ‘no’ is usually a time-buying tactic employed by the customer/client.
A refutation during the sales discussion highlights the unspoken questions and doubts in the mind of the customer. A skillful salesperson will be able to ask discreetly of such a customer/client, the reason for the ‘no’. These can then be worked upon by citing examples from the experiences of the other customers.
It is therefore, very important for salespeople to understand that a ‘no’ is not the end of a sales discussion but the beginning of it. A good salesperson will always strive to elicit a ‘no’ from a customer/client early in the discussion so as to convey that the power-play is dominated by the customer/client. In this situation, it becomes very easy for a patient and persevering salesperson to get a ‘yes’ for the deal from the customer/client.
It is also advisable that if a customer/client is becoming aggressive in a discussion and asserting his/her dominance by refusal, it is a good idea to let him/her reach that state. A skilled salesperson will remain cool in such a situation and not let go of the hold over it. Once this stormy spectacle has passed, the customer/client becomes open to discussion and is more prone to listening.
Thus, we should not deflect a ‘no’ coming our way in any discussion; we should rather take it, invite it early in a discussion and work easily our way towards a ‘yes’.
Suditi
You may like to watch a video for quick summarisation of the post. The link to the video is: