When You Have To Analyze A No

A completely unexpected no in a sales situation can be more than frustrating. When a prospect who previously expressed great interest, all of a sudden changes his or her mind and says no, the sales professional must seek to understand this decision. Instead of engaging in negative self-talk, apply a methodical process of assessment and analysis that will help you understand your prospect’s decision. When you understand where an unexpected no came from, you will be able to add an effective rebuttal to your arsenal of scripts for overcoming objections.

When your best efforts are unsuccessful, there can be many factors involved. In my years of delivering sales presentations, I have come to regard the word no as an adversary whose origins must be understood. My informal study of human behavior has shown me that a no typically comes from one of three places: the head, the positioning or the gut. In this article we will discuss some factors that relate to the head; that is, the thinking that leads a person to say no.

Take the following example: Pete works as a Sales Associate in an electronics retail store. When a customer comes in to “buy” a big screen TV he feels sure that he will make this sale. Pete decides to show the customer more than just the big screen TV. Insisting that a big screen alone is no longer sufficient Pete only shows the customer High Definition and Plasma TVs. He also tries to package it with an entire entertainment system that consists of speakers, surge protectors and other devices as well as a huge cabinet, all of which the customer would have to set up.

Before long, Pete’s sure thing turns into a hesitant customer who goes from looking for a big screen TV to just thinking about one. The customer leaves the store in rather a hurry and Pete is left scratching his head. Why did Pete lose his customer? Let’s analyze what both people wanted. Pete’s motivations were obvious; to get the biggest commission he could out of this sale. The customer’s motivations are a little more difficult to ascertain. Did he want the biggest and most expensive system on the block so that when friends came over to watch the game they would be suitably impressed? Or did he merely want to buy a slightly better TV than his older, cheaper one that had just broken down?

Pete should have tested the waters in order to answer this question before risking presenting a proposition that would scare his customer away. If it turns out that Pete does want to impress his friends, the bigger and more elaborate system might be what he is looking for. Imagine however, if Pete simply woke up that morning and found his TV wouldn’t turn on. All he wants to do is buy another to put on the shelf in its place. The idea of waiting 3 days for delivery, spending two weeks deciphering complicated hook ups and going $4,000 into debt would certainly send him running from the store.

Action step: Consider how your proposition may be broken down into smaller, less complicated, commitments.

My daughter had the right idea when she was quite young. She wanted to go over to her friend’s house for the weekend, buy her a birthday gift and have $10 in her pocket for when they all went to the arcades. She got her commitments from her mother and me in small and manageable doses.

First she asked. “Can I go to Carrie’s birthday party? It’s a weekend sleepover.” Once we had given her the yes she was looking for, she came back with a second request. “Oh, and I need to buy her a birthday present, can you give me some money for that please?” the question was laced with a sweet tone of voice that may not be appropriate for your selling situations. “Oh,” we’d hear, after the present was brought and before the weekend arrived, “could I please have $10 for the arcades we’ll be going to.” Clever as her approach was, she got everything she asked for.

When you approach prospects for too large a commitment, you make it easy for them to say no. Try spending some time assessing the depth of interest in your proposal before you go for the biggest possible commitment. If your prospects are likely to back off at the sign of a big commitment, make it easy for them to say yes, one decision at a time.

© 2007 Alvin Day

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