Every business faces the vexing problem of why clients aren't buying from
them...as much, as quickly, or at all. The question of why they aren't buying is
even more critical in a down economy like this. Face the question and thrive;
ignore it and your business's future is bleak. So how do you go about finding
out why they aren't buying? The answer is simpler than you might think. You ask
them.
And then you use the information they give you to craft your
responses to their concerns.
Stop being afraid of your customers and
prospects. Recognize the power inherent in asking them questions. Your M.D.
isn't afraid to ask you questions about your health, and can't diagnose you
properly without the full picture. So shift your mindset from supplicant to
physician and ask respectfully and thoughtfully every question you need in order
to understand your client's situation. Your client will respect you for
it!
When you know why they won't buy, you can craft your presentations to
achieve one of the most important goals for any business: preemption. Preemption
means that you demonstrate, by word, attitude and deed, that there is no one
else in your field who can possibly serve clients as well, as thoroughly, and as
confidently, as you. If your current selling strategy is not rooted in
preemption, now's the time to make that critical shift.
Let me share with
you the strategy of preemption in action.
My friend Bradley enjoys a
successful career training investors in making money in real estate. His
marketplace is flooded with competitors, even today, when the real estate market
is in the doldrums. When prospects ask him how he differs from a well-known
competitor in his niche, Bradley's reply is rooted in the strategy of
preemption and based on his research as to why some prospects weren't choosing
him in the past. Today he tells prospects the following:
"My competitor
is very good at what he does. But I approach your fate and financial path with a
much greater commitment to getting you there quickly, easily, safely, enjoyably,
and more predictably than any of my competitors do. I protect your downside
better, multiply your upside more, and show you more ethical short-cuts, quick
fixes and fast-track strategies that you can use."
By describing himself
in this way, Bradley is preempting everyone else. One of the best preemptive
methods is to work candidly with your prospect to compile a pros-and-cons list.
Have your prospective client draw up a list with the name of your product or
service placed alongside two alternative options that he or she is considering.
The rest is easy: Show how you're the optimal choice. After following the steps
to preeminence we just considered, you can handle this task with confidence and
clarity, because you know you're the best option. Business is a science and, as
such, works much like the biomechanics of athletic performance: If something's
not working, it's usually due to a functional problem that can be corrected. But
you'll never even get a shot at correcting it if you allow your competitors to
preempt you.
So, how do you preempt your competition? You can accomplish
this by taking the following steps:
1. First, preempt any concern that's
holding back your client by acknowledging that concern and overcoming it. Think
about Bradley, the real-estate trainer I just mentioned. He starts by
acknowledging the distinctions between him and his main competitor. Then he
explains exactly what he can do that she can't.
2. Second, preempt your
client's lack of confidence in the outcome by clearly stating your certainty in
the plan and describing what the steps and results will be like and how you will
deliver a better desired outcome for your client. In much the same way, Bradley
puts an emphasis on the predictability of his approach and describes for his
clients his process for protecting their downside.
3. Third, if your
client does not perceive the advantages inherent in working with you, preempt
this tendency by helping him establish specific buying criteria, including
value-added follow-up or transactional additions such as products or services.
This is the clincher, as Bradley has demonstrated. After eliminating risk for
his client, he goes on to describe the benefits he provides. What he offers is
not a simple transaction but a value-added transaction.
There's serious
money to be made, even in a down market like this one. If you know how to
preempt the field, the sales, the income, and the pleasure of serving others
will be yours, all yours.
Copyright (c) 2009 Jay Abraham
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