Recently, David and I had a terrific meeting with a prospective client. We talked about the fact that Natural Habits has its origins in a desire to see salespeople engage more effectively with clients and prospects.
He rolled his eyes.
He explained that he is regularly contacted by eager salespeople hoping to have a meeting with him. Not unusual, right? But what struck me was his perception of their approach. He said that he could always tell when some new sales “training” platform was being adopted by companies because the salespeople would approach him with “canned” or scripted verbiage.
He further went on to explain that he, in turn, had developed a scripted response of “thanks but I’m good” for whatever product or service was being pitched, even if he needed it. He further explained, and this intrigued us, that if the salesperson approached with authenticity, even if he didn’t need the product being represented, he would retain that salesperson’s contact information, because their approach was genuine.
As salespeople, it might be good for us to remember that our prospects are people, too, and that they often feel like objectives to be attained, rather than thinking, feeling human beings. When we approach a prospect, having done our Preparation work, we bring authenticity and empathy to the table. When we are inwardly focused instead of being focused on the needs and wants of our prospect, they feel it.
Give it a try…you’ll be amazed at the results.
For your success,
Linda and David