A few months ago I, like millions of other YouTube users, laughed at a video showing the Welsh Rugby Union forward Scott Baldwin getting his hand bitten by a lion. If you have not seen the clip then its worth a watch not only to add further evidence to the message within this blog but just to see how stupid some people really are!
Experts have concluded that animals can’t necessarily smell emotion or fear, but they are able to detect the signs that a person is nervous and afraid, and I have no doubt that even though he may have wanted to look confident, there would have been nerves when Baldwin put his hands on the lions head! In return for his fear, he got a response from the lion that scared him, put him out of action for several weeks and hopefully taught him a lesson for the future!
Whilst this is an extreme example, I am sure we can all recollect stories of people we know getting a reaction they didn’t want from a dog and the reality is, if you show fear when engaging with animals you stand more chance of being bitten!
Animals are not the only ones to bite though and if you have ever interrupted a prospect at a bad time or on a difficult day then you will know what I mean! We have all had times when someone has reacted rudely or aggressively to us and it is difficult not to take the rejection personally but its vital to brush off the rejection and move onto the next call if you are to be consistently successful in sales.
Just like animals can sense fear, your prospects can sense your fear if you act and speak nervously when you engage with them. The tone of your voice, the language that you use and the reactions you have are all indicators of how you feel and it’s no secret that the most successful sales and business people are the ones who use the right language and who control their fears and emotions when they speak with prospects.
It is always difficult to not show fear especially when prospecting is a task you don’t enjoy but the simple reality is that you need to learn the right phrases to say and the reactions to have if you are to win more business than you lose! I provide all of my mentoring clients with the help and support to ensure they can tackle these conversations head on but if you use the right language within your prospecting then you can show greater confidence and achieve better results.
I have outlined below some different examples of the types of questions and language you should be using with your prospects if you want to show you are in control and want to reduce the risk of being bitten!
Show confidence and use strong and direct phrases to engage with your prospect in the right way:
- Use ‘How about we…’ rather than ‘Could we…’
- Say ‘The reason I was calling…’ rather than ‘I was just calling to have a chat…’
- Say ‘Let’s get a date to meet next week’ rather than ‘Could we agree a date to meet next week?’
- Use ‘Do you want to get the contract signed today?’ rather than ‘Could we get the contract signed today?’
- Say ‘Will you let me know your decision?’ rather than ‘Please let me know your decision’
- Ask ‘Where is the best place for us to meet?’ rather than ‘Would you like to meet?’
- Say ‘Which package have you decided to go with?’ rather than ‘Have you decided on a package?’
- Ask ‘What is the budget range you have in mind for this solution?’ rather than ‘Do you have a budget in mind for this solution?’
- Say ‘What other questions do you have about what we do?’ rather than ‘Did what I say make sense?’
- Say ‘What would stop you from moving ahead today?’ rather than ‘Are you happy to move forward today?’
The language you use within your sales conversations is vital and using terms and questions like these within your conversations will not only show your prospect that you have confidence in yourself but are also more likely to get results than meek and whimsical phrases that busy people will eat for breakfast!
So, if you want to ensure that you don’t get bitten by your prospects then stand up, be proud of what you do, back yourself and your solution and engage in a positive and strong way! Do this and your going to be in a better place to convert prospects, win business and hit the targets you have in place!
If you would like some help and support from someone who has been in sales for over 20 years and who can give you the mentoring and guidance needed to get great results then get in contact with me and lets talk about how we can get you and your company on the right path to success!
If you want to hit the sales targets that you set for yourself only a few weeks ago then you must get into the daily habit of making time for sales and to engage with prospects that you can turn into customers.
If you take the regular daily action then along with the other advice and suggestions I provide, I know you will achieve the consistent sales success you desire!
You deserve success and you want success and so give yourself the best chance of achieving success by putting aside time each day for prospecting and I promise you it will help turn those targets numbers into actual numbers!
I offer sales mentoring sessions on a monthly basis so that you have someone to hold you accountable for achieving the results you want! If you are intrigued by what mentoring can offer and know you need some help and support to turn that fantasy sales spreadsheet into actual numbers then lets arrange a time to chat. Don’t let another month pass you by! Get into the winning habit now and get the support you need to achieve consistent sales success!
