3 Steps to Controlling Your Sales Conversations
Did you know that 80% of business is lost to no decision at all? This suggests that most salespeople are bad at leading conversations. You must always remember that the main goal of sales is to guide a prospect to a decision. A Yes or no is good; indecisiveness is bad for your stats.
The secret to controlling any sales call is to have a well-defined objective beforehand, asking only the important questions, using friendly strength and knowing how to deal with leads who:
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Does not want to answer questions
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Have an infinite amount of objections
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Delay the sale
Let’s break down how to lead every sales call with power.
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Start with a clear goal
Sales is not about who won or lost during the call. Before you even pick up the phone is the most important part. Essentially, your mindset determines the outcome.
Before any important call, ask yourself these questions:
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Why am I calling? What do I want to accomplish? How am I going to accomplish this?
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What do I want to accomplish?
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Finally, figure out “How am I going to accomplish this?
These questions will empower you and lead the sales call with clarity.
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Ask important probing questions and listen very carefully
Ask yourself questions to find your purpose but ask your prospect questions to control the conversation.
When you ask questions during a call, you uncover your prospect’s needs and enable them to find their own solutions.
Remember: the wrong questions will turn you into a passive listener, the right questions will allow you to direct the conversation.
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Use friendly strength
Finally, take control of the call by using friendly strength.
When you are in sales, don’t be a wolf or a lamb and instead, use friendly strength. Listen and discover your prospect’s needs. You should use your expertise to lead the call and challenge their thinking.
Now, how do you deal with a call with difficult prospects?
Now that you have the correct mindset and understand the importance of asking questions and using gracious and professional strength, let’s talk about the things you should say to a difficult prospect.
Regain control of the call when:
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a prospect does not want to answer your questions by
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Make a secondary statement
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Re-frame the issue
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Make your case
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Sell an additional benefit of green-lighting your questions
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Transition into your first question
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a prospect has an infinite amount of objections
First of all, don’t argue—listen. Once they’re finished, ask them, “Out of everything you mentioned, what’s a deal-breaker, what’s important, and what’s nice-to-have?” Focus on managing the deal-breaking objections.
Follow up by asking, “If we could address these particular things, would you consider us the right solution?”
Until you address their deal-breakers and important requirements, ignore the nice-to-haves. Concentrate on the main issues.
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a prospect delays the sale
“I’ll buy soon” is a hidden minefield. The call might’ve appeared successful but “unexpected” issues may pop up, delaying the deal indefinitely.
Be straight with the prospect: “Is there anything that could prevent this contract being signed?”
These will help you:
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Distinguish obstacles that may stop the deal
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Confirm prospect’s guarantee to buying
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Close the deal faster
When you control the call, you control the sale. So, before any call, remember to ask yourself “Why? What? How?” Having a purpose and solid game plan will ultimately give you focus. Then, ask questions, listen, and use professionally pleasing strength to control the call.
Whether your prospect is tight-lipped, argumentative, or deferring, the same ideologies apply. The only thing that will change is the type of questions you ask.
The VA Hub Lead Management and Prospecting Specialists stand by these.
Call us now at 1-888-923-9323
Email us at businessadvisors@thevahub.com
