Think of the last time you felt like you were missing out on something. Maybe you couldn’t get a ticket to the best concert of the year. Maybe you saw all your friends tagged in a photo on Facebook and you weren’t there. Or maybe your neighbor joined an exclusive group for members only.
Remember how you felt? Left out? Excluded? Wondering “Why didn’t I get the invite?”
We all want to be included. We all want to know that we belong. We don’t want to feel like we’re missing out. We deserve to be a part of whatever it is, right?
“Why am I not a good fit?”
Understanding this desire to be wanted can be a strong advantage in your sales process.
Prior to a first meeting, instead of going in with the intent to sell something, imagine approaching the meeting with a mentality of discovering if the prospect will be a good client for you…if she deserves to be a part of your exclusive, members-only client list.
Start off the call/meeting with something like, “My hope for today’s meeting is to learn more about you and your business, share a little about what we do, and ultimately find out if we’re a good fit for each other.”
You’ve just put the question in their head, “Why wouldn’t I be a good fit?”
This is not a trick. You are genuinely interested in learning more so you can determine if you should do business together. Read that first statement again, and then read this (the typical salesperson):
“Let me tell you about our product, and let’s see if we can do business today.”
(Okay – so it may not come out exactly like that, but it’s pretty darn close to what the prospect hears!)
“I’ve got a million dollars in the bank and don’t need the business.”
Approaching a prospect this way requires a different mentality. You can’t go into the meeting thinking, “I’ve gotta get this one. I need this to meet quota this quarter.” Instead, work toward the idea that, “I’ve got a million dollars in the bank and don’t need the business.”
Yes, I know, this is hard when you DON’T actually have a million dollars in the bank. But, there’s a little fake-it-till-you-make-it that has to come into play here at first – until you actually get that million!
By taking this approach, you are much more likely to truly look at the opportunity objectively. You can evaluate whether you can really help…whether she’ll be a good client or not…whether there’s a good fit.
“I’ll probably recognize it before you.”
What to push it a little further? Here’s a little added bonus idea. Go one more step beyond your initial statement with something like this:
“My hope for today’s meeting is to learn more about you and your business, share a little about what we do, and ultimately find out if we’re a good fit for each other. We are not a fit for everyone, and we know that. In fact, I’ll probably recognize it before you do. If that’s the case, are you okay if I tell you?”
What?? Did you just say you’d tell them they’re not a fit? Yep. You did.
In Sandler, we call this a “pattern interrupt” – to do or say something unexpected that disrupts the prospect’s normal pattern.
And, again, you’ve placed them in a position to question why they wouldn’t be a good fit. Not only have you interrupted the typical sales pattern, but you’ve created a sense of exclusivity and now they’ll want to know how to join.
Try this on your next sales call. Let us know what happens.
