Solving the problem
Jerry L. Kennedy | TLT Selling Points December 2011
The final step in our NEADS system requires a little creativity but will separate you from your competitors.
Be creative! Don’t walk away from the deal just because you don’t feel like thinking!
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ALRIGHT, IT’S TIME TO GET CREATIVE in our NEADS process! You’ll recall that NEADS stands for what the prospect does Now, what he Enjoys about his current solution, what he would Alter about that solution if he could and how the prospect goes about making Decisions.
So you’ve been gathering information, asking questions about the prospect’s current solution and observing behavior to get a feel for his or her decision-making modality. With all this information at your disposal (hopefully you’ve taken lots of notes!), it’s time to enter the final phase of the NEADS process—the S, which stands for Solution.
Warning! This does not mean it’s now time to pitch your prepackaged, canned, one-size-fits-all, pretty-good solution. No, my friend, remember that you’re trying to get a “yes,” and one sure-fire way to miss that mark is to hit your prospect with a canned pitch!
I’m constantly amazed at the salespeople I encounter who don’t get this. They listen politely while you talk about what you’re looking for, nodding their heads as if they understand and agree, then tell you why what you’re looking for isn’t really what you want but they’d like to show you their featured product which is so much better for your situation.
What causes salespeople to behave like this? Mental laziness! They’ve taken the time to learn just enough about their product to regurgitate the company’s sales brochure. They aren’t really listening when they’re nodding their pointy little heads either; they’re thinking of what they’re going to say to overcome your objections and waiting for an opportunity to butt in and start pitching you. It’s maddening!
You can set yourself apart from these sales Cro-Magnons by doing one simple thing—give your prospects what they are asking for! By taking all the information you’ve gathered so far and putting your mind to work to come up with an offering that exactly fits your prospect’s needs, you’re immediately in a better relationship with the prospect. Trust me: the majority of your competitors are not doing this. In fact, you may be the first salesperson this prospect has ever encountered who presented him with a solution tailored to his needs instead of trying to cram him into a prepackaged solution.
But what if you don’t have a solution that exactly fits the prospect’s needs? You have two choices: you can get creative and come up with one or you can be honest and tell the prospect, “We don’t have what you’re looking for” and refer him to someone who does. Those are really your only two legitimate choices. If you manipulate the prospect into settling for a solution that doesn’t fit their needs, you’ll damage your relationship permanently. You’ll lose their trust. You’ll be dealing with their buyer’s remorse and possibly a cancelled sale.
Don’t be afraid to be creative. Just because your company does not currently offer an exact solution, talk to others and see if you can come up with a way to do it. Don’t walk away from the deal just because you don’t feel like thinking!
After all, you have all the information you need. If you and your team can’t come up with a perfect solution that exactly fits your prospect’s needs, maybe sales isn’t the right career for you.
Selling isn’t about pitching a product, it’s about solving problems. That’s why you get paid the big bucks! If you take the time to create a perfect solution for your prospect, “yes” is just around the corner.
All that remains is presenting your solution and converting your prospect into a client. That’s the topic of our next article, the fourth step in getting to “yes.”
Until then, happy selling!
Jerry Kennedy is owner of Inside Out Business Solutions, a sales and customer service training organization. To learn more sales strategies, visit Jerry’s blog at http://jerrykennedy.com or you can reach him at jerry@jerrykennedy.com.