Have you ever received an emphatic no from your prospects? If so, did you remain 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 traditional sales techniques . Access to information has been made easier, faster and more comprehensive. Prospects are sometimes more informed than salespeople! They ask much more specific questions and their reasoning is all the more intelligent. Salespeople need to make up their minds , they need to change their approach to better convince prospects. This remains valid in case of refusal of the prospect. We must react in the right way, not give up and find the right solution. In this article, we offer you the best tips to bypass the refusal of your prospects.
3 mistakes that promote prospect rejections
If your prospect declines your offer, there’s a reason for that. Most of the time, it is because the seller does not know how to put himself in the place of his interlocutor. He does not understand their real needs and puts his product or service first. Sometimes it’s also due to sellers not cultivating a transparent relationship with their prospects. In the end, it is necessary to adapt to the evolution of the behavior of prospects, who have become better informed. Here are three (3) mistakes to avoid to convert your leads.
1 – Not targeting the right person
This is a common mistake in B2B prospecting. Sales reps are poorly informed about their prospects. Whereas today, it is no longer enough to contact them just with a title and a name. It is necessary to have more detailed information, for example, if your interlocutor is indeed a decision-maker or not. By conducting your research, you accumulate at the same time references, other names, rare information, and perhaps the right person !
Also consider prospecting on LinkedIn. This professional network is a real mine of prospects. There you can collect relevant information about your target. But be careful! The contact you find must match the predefined buyer persona for your product or service. This is a robot portrait of your ideal customer based on market data, field interviews, etc. To learn more, see our article on this subject→
2 – Not offering the right solutions
If you don’t understand your prospects’ needs , how can you convince them? This is also valid for companies that have a negative reputation with their buyers. These companies try 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 ineffective behaviors.
You have to sell people what they’re looking for. This means that your product or service should match what your prospect wants. If your solution doesn’t fit, it’s because it doesn’t take into account the difficulties, challenges , and obstacles your prospect faces on a daily basis. It will be perceived as useless. Sometimes it’s enough to review the way you present your product or service by stating the problem you’re experiencing and demonstrating how your solution solves it. Moreover, nowadays, we no longer sell a product, but a solution. In other words, an action that facilitates the professional life of the prospect and allows him to achieve his goals.
3 – Do not work on your e-reputation
If you do not work on your notoriety, your product or service will never be known. Even worse, your competitors will outperform 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. It is necessary to inform them, communicate to them news of your company or web news that could interest them. You can also approach your audience on social networks. Make sure they get involved, get in touch with you. The best thing about 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 the pace. Also remember to maintain your website and feed your blog from time to time. It 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 in acquisition or loyalty.
READ ALSO: Our advice for writing emails
Recovery for a reversal of the situation
You haven’t closed 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 that should not be neglected. Nevertheless, you have to know how to use it intelligently.
First of all, revival is an art, which some sellers do not master. There are even salespeople who do not even try to revive the prospect after a first refusal. This is very unpleasant for the company. The sale is often faced with failure and rejection. If the products sold themselves, we wouldn’t need sellers. That’s why sales really start when the prospect tells you no!
But if you give up after a first refusal, you miss out on sales opportunities. The prospect may not be convinced yet. He may be testing you. Or it tests you, trying to figure out how far you’re willing to go. The possibilities are numerous. So now, let’s see how to perform a correct relaunch…
1 – When it is a NO conditional
After a prospect is first rejected , there is no guarantee that it will not be recoverable. What you need to do is take a step back and think about a plan of attack. If necessary, you should review your sales pitch and change the angle of attack. You need to dig a little deeper, the prospect may have several needs. It is also faced with several problems, you must exploit at least one 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 categorical no or a definitive refusal, there is only one thing to think about: the future! Simply because losing a sale does not mean losing a future customer. So, when you receive this kind of refusal, leave with dignity while thanking your prospect for the interest he has given you. Express regret that you cannot work together. The goal is to create a sense of doubt and a little regret while leaving the door open to a future business relationship. Then, you can propose a new meeting in the medium term in case the needs change. Always keep in mind that it is very important to maintain a good relationship.
