{"id":10893,"date":"2015-05-08T12:35:51","date_gmt":"2015-05-08T12:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandler.dsstaging2.com\/case-study\/speak-assertive-sales-prospect\/"},"modified":"2022-10-18T16:00:24","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T16:00:24","slug":"speak-assertive-sales-prospect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandler.com\/blog\/speak-assertive-sales-prospect\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Speak Up and be Assertive with a Sales Prospect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today I asked a group of salespeople to share something that they wished they\u2019d said to a prospect when they had the chance. I explained they were in a \u2018safe environment\u2019 so it was okay to be honest. The comments were interesting. And when I say interesting, I mean somewhat reserved, restrained and polite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some\u00a0salespeop<\/a>le<\/a>\u00a0told the group that on a regular basis they accept a prospect\u2019s \u201ccall me next week\u201d but when they call \u2018next week\u2019 the prospect is never there. Other salespeople told us their \u2018gut instinct\u2019 told them the prospect wasn\u2019t interested or wasn\u2019t planning to do business with them but they accepted the \u201clooks good, I want to think it over\u201d comment. Deep down the salespeople knew the prospects were lying to them but they just couldn\u2019t bring themselves to speak up and challenge the prospect for fear of appearing rude or pushy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They shared their frustration with not being able to get the truth from a prospect and were determined not to get \u2018caught again\u2019, but they do and continue to. Do you sometimes feel the same way? Have you heard Albert Einstein\u2019s definition of insanity? \u2013 \u201cDoing the same thing over again and expecting different results.\u201d So, why do we continue this behavior and hope for different results?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with this example, you call a prospect and they take your call. When it comes time to talk about next steps, in your mind you\u2019re clear about what you want to happen, but what you hear is not what you expected or what you were hoping to hear. It doesn\u2019t matter whether the next step is to schedule another call, a face-to-face meeting or to buy your product or service, the answer is vague. Does it occur to you that perhaps it\u2019s an excuse to get rid of you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re new to sales you may accept the excuse because you don\u2019t think a prospect would lie to you and quite frankly, you believe them. After all, you\u2019ve never lied to a salesperson! On the other hand, if you\u2019ve been in sales for a number of years your gut should tell you it\u2019s an excuse to get you off the phone. But, for whatever reason you let them off the hook and you accept their lame excuses about running off to a meeting, checking with management or any number of other excuses you\u2019re given. When you hang up the phone you\u2019re frustrated with yourself because you know the prospect lied and you really wished you had said something but you didn\u2019t. And yes prospects lie to salespeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s another example: you\u2019re face to face with a prospect and you\u2019ve discovered their pain and you know your product or service can solve their problem. You\u2019ve already discussed the budget and now you\u2019re ready to move onto the decision step. They\u2019ve indicated all along that they\u2019re able to make the decision and write the check, and suddenly they tell you about discussing it with management or their spouse. You agree that it makes sense and reluctantly leave the meeting without a commitment, but you really wished you\u2019d said something to get a more definitive answer. Afterwards, you rehash the conversation and you realize that you\u2019re frustrated with yourself for not being more assertive when you had the chance. Ever wonder what it would take for you to say THAT<\/em>, when you have the chance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saying \u2018that\u2019 when you want starts with believing in yourself and being gutsy. Here are a few tips to help you\u00a0get gutsy<\/a>\u00a0and say\u00a0THAT\u00a0<\/em>when your gut tells you the prospect is giving you an excuse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Listen to and believe your gut instinct!
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Slowly formulate your response.
4. Use a softening statement before addressing the issue.
5. Ask for their permission to say what you believe is true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re serious about learning how to stop accepting the prospect\u2019s lame excuses, contact your\u00a0local Sandler Training<\/a>\u00a0center and discover how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I asked a group of salespeople to share something that they wished they\u2019d said to a prospect when they had the chance. I explained they were in a \u2018safe environment\u2019 so it was okay to be honest. The comments were interesting. And when I say interesting, I mean somewhat reserved, restrained and polite. Some\u00a0salespeople\u00a0told…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":10894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1120],"tags":[1026,1115],"class_list":["post-10893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-prospecting","tag-qualifying"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to speak up and be assertive with a sales prospect | Sandler Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Today I asked a group of salespeople to share something that they wished they\u2019d said to a prospect when they had the chance. I explained they were in a \u2018safe environment\u2019 so it was okay to be honest. The comments were interesting. 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