Have you ever received a resounding no from your prospects? If so, have you remained inactive? Have you thought about reviewing your prospecting strategy? Have you thought about reviewing your sales pitch and reworking your approaches? If any of these questions resonate with you, you're probably on the right page.
Nowadays, salespeople can no longer rely on sales techniques . Access to information has been made easier, faster and more complete. Prospects sometimes more informed than salespeople ! They ask much more precise questions and their reasoning is even more intelligent . Salespeople must come to terms, they must change their approach to better convince prospects. This remains valid in the event of refusal by the prospect . You have to react in the right way, not give up and find the right solution. In this article, we offer you the best tips for overcoming the refusal of your prospects.
3 mistakes that lead to prospect rejections
If your prospect declines your offer, there is a reason why. Most of the time, it's because the salesperson doesn't know how to put themselves in the other person's shoes. He doesn't understand their real needs and puts his product or service first. Sometimes it’s also due to salespeople not cultivating a transparent relationship with their prospects. Ultimately, we must adapt to the changing behavior of prospects, who have become better informed. Here are three (3) mistakes to avoid to convert your prospects.
1 – Not targeting the right person
This is a common mistake in B2B prospecting . Salespeople are poorly informed about their prospects . Whereas today, it is no longer enough to contact them just with a title and a name. You need to have more detailed information , for example, whether your interlocutor is a decision-maker or not . By carrying out your research, you accumulate references, other names, rare information, and perhaps the right person !
Also consider prospecting on LinkedIn . This professional network is a veritable mine of prospects . There you can collect relevant information about your target. But beware ! The contact you find must match the buyer persona for your product or service. This is a robot portrait of your ideal customer based on market data, field interviews, etc. To find out more, see our article on this subject →
2 – Not proposing the right solutions
If you don't understand needs , how can you convince ? This also applies to companies that have a negative reputation among their buyers . These companies are trying to sell a solution that does not meet the expectations of their prospects. For you, this would be a golden opportunity to stand out from the competition and avoid these inefficient behaviors.
You have to sell people what they are looking for. This means that your product or service must match what your prospect wants. If your solution doesn't match, it doesn't take into account the difficulties , challenges and obstacles that your prospect faces on a daily basis . It will be seen as useless. Sometimes you just need to review the way you present your product or service by stating the problem you encounter and demonstrating how your solution solves it. Besides, nowadays, we no longer sell a product, but a solution. In other words, an action that facilitates the prospect's professional life and allows him to achieve his objectives.
3 – Not working on your e-reputation
If you don't work on your notoriety , your product or service will never be known . Worse yet, your competitors will outcompete you by taking all the market share . If your business also has a bad reputation on the web , the situation would be critical. Already, a product or service sold online without customer reviews is of less interest to buyers. So, imagine that you only have negative comments , how do you plan to restore order? The answer is to work on your e-reputation .
Consider providing useful content to people. You need to inform , give news company or even web news that might interest them. You can also approach your audience on social networks . Get them engaged, get them in touch with you. The best part of marketing is getting others to work for you.
Let them build your notoriety themselves, without them realizing it. If you choose social media, post regularly and keep up. Also remember to maintain your website and update your blog from time to time. This would also help your prospects get to know you. And finally, you can launch personalized emailing campaigns , whether for your prospects or your customers. Email marketing remains an essential lever , whether used for acquisition or loyalty.
READ ALSO: Our advice for writing emails well
Relaunch for a turnaround in the situation
Didn't make a sale? Don't panic, the game is not over. This is when you need to think about the foolproof technique of reminders. This technique is one of the strategic sales actions which should not be neglected. However, you have to know how to use it intelligently.
First of all, recovery is an art, which some sellers do not master. There are even salespeople who do not even try to follow up with the prospect after an initial refusal . Which is very unpleasant for the company. Sales often faces failure and rejection. If products sold themselves, we wouldn't need salespeople . This is why the sale really begins when the prospect tells you no!
But if you give up after an initial rejection, you're missing out on sales opportunities. The prospect may not yet be convinced. He may be testing you. Or he's testing you, trying to see how far you're willing to go. The possibilities are numerous . So now let's see how to perform a correct raise...
1 – When it comes to a conditional NO
After the first rejection of a lead, there is no guarantee that it will not be redeemable. What you need to do is take a step back and think about a plan of attack . If necessary, you need to review your sales pitch and change the angle of attack . You have to dig a little deeper, the prospect may have several needs . It is also faced with several problems , you must exploit at least one of them to trigger the act of purchase . You can send a reminder in a simple email , going straight to the point.
2 – When it comes to a categorical NO
When it comes to a not categorical or a definitive refusal, there is only one thing to think about: the future ! Simply because lose a sale does not mean lose a future customer. So, when you receive this type of refusal, leave with dignity while thanking your prospect for the interest he has shown you. Express your regret not be able to work together. The objective is to create a feeling of doubt and a little regret while leaving the door open to a future business relationship. Then you can offer a new meeting in the medium term in case needs evolve. Always keep in mind that it is very important to maintain a good relationship.
