Have you ever been sitting in a meeting or on a call when your prospect asks a question that should have been addressed a long time ago?
Most likely, you know there are certain questions that are always going to come up at some point in the conversation; but for some reason, they always catch you by surprise.
In 2009, David Mattson wrote a book called The Sandler Rules: 49 Timeless Selling Principles and How to Apply Them. Sandler Rule #23 states: “The Way to Get Rid of a Bomb is to Defuse It Before It Blows Up.”
The point is this: if you know something is going to come up, address it before it actually comes up.
“How much does it cost?”
This is an ever-present question we all hear. Bring it up before the prospect does. Like this…
You: “Before we get too far into this conversation, I’m gonna guess price is on your mind. Am I right?”
Prospect: “Of course it is.”
You: “Well, our widgets can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. Based on your situation and budget, should we still be talking?”
“Changing will be difficult.”
Do you sell a product or service that requires changing from a previous vendor relationship? There’s always going to be a cost to change – time, money, heartache. Address it before you get too far along…
You: “My biggest fear is that, at the end of our conversation, you’re going to love everything we have to offer and want to get started, but when it comes time to actually make the switch, that process is going to be harder than you expected; and you’ll end up pulling back and sticking with what you’ve got instead.”
Prospect: “That’s definitely something to consider.”
You: “Before we get too far along here, can we talk through that process so you have a full understanding of what a change might look like?”
You Know Your “Bombs”
These questions or “bombs” will be different for everyone. But, you know what they are. You deal with them every day. Make a list and be prepared to bring them up sooner than later in the sales process.
One thing we’ve done at JoltCMS is to actually answer many of these questions in our blog, which is a great way to defuse the bomb WAY early in the process. Often times, before we even talk with someone for the first time, they’ve had a chance to answer many of their own questions from our website. Not only does this position us as an expert in our industry, but it also shortens the sales cycle, because we don’t have to waste time answering the basic questions once we start talking.
However you do it, the best way to get rid of a bomb is to defuse it before it blows up!
Thank you to Matt White for sharing. Matt is the owner of JoltCMS where he helps businesses help their customers.
