Setting
the Direction of the Call – Part Two
As mentioned
in the first portion of this topic, the ability to effectively set
the direction of a sales
call has an immediate and lasting effect on the first interaction
with a client but also all future interactions. We have already
looked at how to do the following:
- Build Rapport and Gain Trust
– How to establish
a connection with your client.
- Utilize
Effective Bridging – Make the transition from the initial
conversation to business at hand
- Utilize Introductory Benefit
Statements – Answering the client’s most important
question, “what’s in it for me?”
Now we will
take a look at two additional components of how to set the direction
of your sales
call. First, we will look at how you can reinforce a customer’s
positive image
of your company by using benefit
statements. We will then delve into the right and wrong
things to say and do when a customer has a negative comment or a
complaint.
Building
Value with Benefit Statements
Over the course
of a business
relationship, your customers will eventually begin to recognize
and point out the value your company provides to the table. You
will start to see this as customers make comments based on experiences
or information they have gathered on your capabilities. When a customer
points out something positive about your company, your
products and services or your relationship, it is important
to reinforce the customer’s notions with a benefit statement. These
benefit statements enable you to build value in the customer’s mind
and, in this type of situation, help
build rapport. While they are applicable in any phase of the
sales cycle, here is an example of how they can be used to respond
to a positive statement:
Client: “Your consultant did a terrific job of deploying
our payroll system last month. He really helped my employees get
up to speed on the product’s functionality without any headaches.”
Sales Rep: “Thank you. I consistently get
great feedback on our consultant’s work. All of our deployment
specialists go through a thorough training and certification process
not only on our products but also on client relations. This allows
customers to receive quick turnkey deployments and smooth
knowledge transfer so that productivity is increased quickly
and efficiently. What exactly did our consultant do that was so
helpful?”
Another example might be…
Client: “Your machine parts have been a blessing
on the assembly line. Our downtime has decreased by fifty percent!”
Sales Rep: “I’m glad to hear that. Our company is
proud of the quality of our machine parts. Our products undergo
the industry’s most rigorous testing requirements in order to ensure
complete reliability.
This enables your assembly lines to run more effectively with less
downtime, higher output and lowered associated expenses.”
Handling
Negative Comments
Wouldn’t it
be nice if our clients only complimented us? What a perfect world
that would be. Yet, at some point, all of us have to deal
with complaints and negative comments. It is important to handle
these comments in a way that does not reinforce a negative impression.
Rather than agreeing with a client’s negative comment, it is best
to clarify the source of the problem.
Client: “I have had nothing but
bad experiences working with your company.”
Sales Rep: “What kind of experiences?”
Client: “Shipping has always been
a mess.”
Sales Rep: “Can you provide me more detail on what
has happened in the past? I want make sure I understand the situation.”
As you can see,
this approach acknowledges a potential problem without reinforcing
the client’s negative comment. Another example…
Client: “I don’t want to deal with
the usual headaches that come after rolling out your service.”
Sales Rep: “Have you had problems
in the past?”
Client: “We sure have. After we rolled out the
service in our Omaha distribution center, we could never reach technical
support.”
Sales Rep: “In what instances did you need technical
support? I need to understand the circumstances of your situation.”
Digging into
the situation allows you to uncover
the true problem and to determine what can be done to remedy
the situation and rebuild trust. Of course, if strengthening
a relationship is not important to you, you can always use the wrong
approach:
Client: “The last interior designer
never returned my calls and the showroom was never really completed.”
Sales Rep: “I don’t doubt it. She’s
awfully busy and is sometimes hard to reach.”
Oops! What
message did you just send? “You bet, Mr. Customer. Our designer
is focused on calling important clients. You don’t fit the bill.”
Reinforce positive
statements and dig deeper into negative statements. You can shape
a client’s perception of your company based on the way you respond
to their words.
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