GlobalBX

In a court of law the prosecution and defence teams begin with an ‘assertion’ of innocence or guilt…and then they each have to provide evidence to prove and win their case. The same process is supposed to happen in all forms of selling, whether you are aiming to further develop business with a customer or if you are working hard to convert a prospect into a client. The assertion in selling involves an opening statement that sends a clear signal to the person you are selling to…that he should listen to more. When you receive tele-marketing calls, see junk mail or spam messages, you are quite capable of making an almost instant decision as to the value of this communication to you…and it is obvious how you feel about most of the stuff you receive in these areas. The same thing can be said of customers and prospects when they encounter sales people; they instantly sense a call that is positive, irritating…or negative!

When I was a sales manager I created a customer sales call strategy for the reps that started with ‘I have one main opportunity to discuss with you today, however I will deal with the bits and pieces first’. This strategy was important for three reasons: the first concerned the critical need to advise the customer that there was a solid and positive new purpose for making the call, beyond the ‘usual’ checking of stocks, etc. The second reason was to ‘position’ the usual checking of stocks as a necessary business activity, as a lead up to the major item of discussion…and the third reason was that this form of language makes it clear that the rep has an organised agenda, and is in control of key discussion points. I have interviewed many different types of customers over the years, in many industries, and one comment that most customers make is this: ‘I would love to know exactly what the rep expects to achieve when calling on our business…for both parties.’

I spent two days in the past week working with a very successful NZ Commercial Insurance company, that is very serious about upgrading its sales approach to customers and prospects. I spent nearly two days with key managers of this business, discussing the best possible approach to market…and we agreed that this sentence would open all conversations with clients: “Normally, on a call like this we look at the insurance you have and try to determine if you need changes, however on this occasion we are introducing a new service that aims to create a definite insurance objective for the business…based on current and immediate future needs. The reason for this new service is…” and then they will explain why the new service is necessary and launch into an interesting sales story. For their prospects, the opening sentence is this: “Normally, on a call like this you might expect to hear about our company and our products, however we assume you already have commercial insurance and a satisfactory supplier…and so instead I would like to talk to you about a serious insurance problem that should prove of great interest…” and then an interesting sales story unfolds. In both cases the ‘opening’ involves an interesting approach and then offers valuable information, as part of a professional service…which aims to create a much better result for the client or prospect. I strongly believe in starting well, because a poor start means you’re finished!