You can ask forfeedback at any timein your presentation.It’s best to wait untilyou are ﬁnishedso you don’t getderailed, but if yoususpect that thecustomer has astrong concern, askfor feedback earlier.
Facing the musicEven seasoned salespeople will hesitate before askingthe customer to respond to their recommendations.A lot of time went into getting to this point and the fearof rejection can be paralyzing. No matter how manytimes you tell yourself that it’s not you that’s beingrejected but your product or idea, it’s hard not to takeit personally. But don’t make the mistake of deliveringyour recommendation and then saying… nothing, andjust waiting to hear from the customer. If you don’t ask,you don’t learn. Even if the answer may not be what youwere hoping for, ask the question and move on.
Welcoming objectionsWhen you ask for feedback, the response you get isusually an objection; you should accept now thatpeople almost always object even when they areconvinced they want to buy. There are complexreasons for this, and techniques for resolvingobjections will be explored in the next chapter. Butfor now, you should welcome the objection. If you hadnot given an opportunity for the objection to surface,it would have still existed in the customer’s mind, andyou would never have closed the deal. With theobjection out in the open, you have a chance towork with the customer to resolve it.
Chapter 4
Resolving objectionsand closing the saleResolving objections is often the most challenging part of thesales process—it can be uncomfortable and unpredictable.But understanding the situation and practicing your responseswill help you perform well when you encounter resistance.
Understanding objectionsUp to this point in the needs-driven selling model, your role has beenthat of facilitator and adviser. Now, when you start to encounterobjections from the client, the role can feel a lot more like selling.However, there’s no reason to freeze and miss the opportunity.
Making buying decisionsMost people object to a selling proposal even thoughthey are interested in buying. It’s human nature. Thelesson to learn is that not all objections are as badas they ﬁrst appear, and most can be resolved.So why do buyers object when they’re ready tobuy? Most are simply looking for reassurance fromthe salesperson; they want to feel like they are makinggood, thoughtful, reasonable decisions, and theydon’t want to think that they are being hasty orfoolish. They know that they will start questioningthemselves soon after they make the purchase.
Understanding objections 51
*
You may have heard some of the terms associatedwith this phenomenon, such as buyer’s remorse andcognitive dissonance*. When you make a decision tobuy, especially when spending a lot of money, youmay experience a sense of disequilibrium. Part of youfeels good about the purchase, but part isn’t so sure.It’s not a comfortable feeling. Professional buyers arealso subject to these feelings, so to protect themselvesand feel like they are doing the right thing, theyobject—even when they may be ready to buy.
Reacting to resistanceMost salespeople react in one of three ways whenfaced with objections—becoming defensive,aggressive, or simply giving up. None of these isconstructive, and none is likely to help you close thedeal. To keep from falling into one of these traps, dowhat you do best problem solve with the customer
itiveance—a feeling of tensionthat arises when youkeep two conﬂictingthoughts in mindsimultaneously.
52 Resolving objections and closing the sale
TIPGET EXPERT HELPUse all yourresources when youencounter difﬁcultobjections. Consultwith your colleaguesand invite experts tothe presentation ifyou need supportin speciﬁc areas.
Approaching conﬂictDealing with customers’ objections is less dauntingwhen you stick to a process derived from provenconﬂict-management techniques. This helps youfocus on the objective, maintain your professionalism,and curbs your tendency to react too quickly.Before introducing the objection-resolution model,there are two assumptions that you need to accept.Firstly, many, if not most, objections are unfulﬁlledneeds. Needs are motivational in nature and whenyou don’t meet them to the customer’s satisfaction,they usually appear later as objections. Put anotherway, if you don’t discover all the needs, you risk beingblindsided later by an objection.The second assumption—which may seemcounterintuitive—is that most objections indicateinterest at some level. Indifference and apathy are thereactions you want to see least in response to yourrecommendations. When the client complains aboutsomething, at least they care about the outcome.Taking the customer’s objection as a good sign willencourage you to work to resolve it. It’s a healthyway to approach conﬂictYou don’t have to accept these assumptions atface value, but work with them and decide laterwhether or not you agree.
IN FOCUS...JUSTIFYING DECISIONSPeople’s desire to resolve the cognitive dissonance thataccompanies buying decisions is illuminated by anobservation from the advertising industry. A person ismore likely to read an ad for a major purchase—such asan automobile—after they have bought the productthan before the purchase. Reading the ad reinforces thecorrectness of the decision made in the buyer’s mind.
Understanding objections 53
Introducing the processWhen you encounter resistance, start byacknowledging what the customer has said withoutresponding to it with offense or defense. Next, askquestions to learn the totality of the objection.Make sure that you have heard and understood theentire issue. Review your understanding with thecustomer of what is troubling them. Sometimes, youwill simply paraphrase the objection to clarify it; atother times, you will have to reframe the objectionand transform it into a need that you can address.Next, address the concern as effectively as you canin order to resolve it. If the customer accepts yourresponse, determine if there are other concerns.If there are, repeat the process. If there are none,close the sale.Resolving objections is a linear process, similar inmany ways to the needs-driven selling model as awhole. As with any other linear process, you don’thave to use every step to succeed, but having awell-deﬁned process to which to refer will help youdeal with what most people ﬁnd to be the hardestcomponent of the sales process.
? ASK YOURSELF...F ABOUTYOUR BUYING BEHAVIORYou can learn about your client’s attitudes by reviewinghow you react when you make a signiﬁcant purchase.• What reasons do I come up with to delay or prevent abuying decision?• How much is my behavior shaped by the salesperson?• Do I object because it helps me feel more conﬁdentabout my purchase?• Do I object because I want to test the salesperson?• How do I react to an aggressive sell?
TIPSTEER TOWARDA SOLUTIONThink of yourselfas a facilitatorwhen you resolveobjections. It’s yourjob to lead the wayas you navigatetowards resolution.
54 Resolving objections and closing the sale
Collecting the dataThe ﬁrst two steps in the objection resolution process are acknowledgingthe client’s objections and asking them to elaborate on their concerns.Posing the right questions helps you collect the critical data you need tounderstand and deal with the customer’s objection.
TIPTRANSFERYOUR SKILLSAcknowledging ismore than just a toolin the sellingprocess—it is alife skill. Use it withyour signiﬁcantothers, colleagues,children, evenstrangers. When youacknowledge howsomeone feels, goodthings usually follow.
Acknowledging objectionsYour goal at this point is to encourage your customerto open up about their objections. To begin thisprocess, you should acknowledge their concerns: thisdoesn’t mean agreeing with their objections (whichwould suggest a lack of conviction on your part) orimplying that you disagree (which would set the scenefor confrontation). Instead, simply recognize their rightto object, demonstrate empathy, and show that youare amenable to discussing the situation. They willsee that you are willing, and hopefully able, to solvethe problem.A good technique for acknowledging objectionsis to reﬂect the customer’s own language in yourresponse. Aim to paraphrase their objection, withoutbeing patronizing. For example, if they bring up theobjection that your product is far too expensive, youcould reply “I recognize that expense is a big concernfor you.”Below are some examples of the types of phrasesyou can use to acknowledge objections:• “I can see why…”• “I appreciate that investing in our system may seemdaunting…”• “That’s a fair question…”• “I think I understand why you might feel that waybased on what you’ve heard so far…”• “I appreciate your candor…”• “I guess I wasn’t as clear as I wanted to be…”
55
Questioning the clientThe customer’s stated objections are often just the tipof the iceberg. They may not be expressing all theirconcerns, or may be masking their true objections.To get to the bottom of their concerns, you need tostart asking questions. Keep these questions crisp,open-ended, and void of content, so that you don’t“lead the witness.” For example, if a client voices ageneral objection, don’t ask, “Is it the price?” This willsucceed only in making them suspicious of price—youwill have given them another reason not to buy!Instead, try something like: “Could you be morespeciﬁc?” This will encourage the customer toelaborate without giving them new reasons to object.Similar question phrasings include:• “Would you please elaborate?”• “Can you say a little more about that?”• “How come?”• “I’m not sure I understand. Could you clarify?”
ASKING QUESTIONS
!FAST TRACK
OFF TRACK
Being objective
Appearing judgmental
Staying in control
Displaying emotion
Asking open-endedquestions
Asking leading questionsor patronizing the client
Being straightforward
Being perceived asmanipulative
Using appreciative phrases
Being an interrogator
TIPBE RESTRAINEDDon’t go too far inexpressing yourdesire to work with aprospect— it canwork against you.
IN FOCUS...CROSSING THE LINEAlmost any positive behavior can become a negativeone when used in excess. It’s great to be curious untilyou become nosy. You should be assertive but notaggressive. By all means be pleasant; but stay away fromobsequious. Be empathetic and customer focused, butdon’t appear patronizing. Take a position, but don’tbecome dogmatic. And, of course, be tenacious, justdon’t get stubborn. These distinctions becomeparticularly important when resolving conﬂict, but if youtrust your instincts and build on them with experience,you’ll be right a lot more than you’ll be wrong.
58 Resolving objections and closing the sale
Reframing objectionsBy this time, you have heard the customer’s objections to your proposal.Most—but not all—objections that you will hear from clients are reallydisguised, unfulﬁlled needs. So the next step of the selling process isreframing* the objections as needs.
*
ming—theturning anegative into apositive, changingthe apparentlyunresolvable intothe possible.
Translating into needsObjections from customers are barriers to progress,whereas needs are aspirational, so it follows thatturning objections into needs makes them easier todiscuss and resolve. These examples illustrate howobjections, in fact, mask needs:• A client complains about the high complexity ofyour proposal: what he may need is a clearerexplanation pitched at his own level.• A client recounts a bad experience of a purchasesimilar to the one you are proposing: what she mayneed is reassurance that it won’t happen again.• A client laments the difﬁculty of changing theirin-house systems: he may need to understand thatyou can help to facilitate the process.
Reframing objections 59
You can reframe almost any objection into aninvitational question that asks how something can bedone as opposed to why it can’t. An objection like“My manager will never go for this” becomes “Itappears to me that there’s a need to establish arock-solid business case for this purchase.”When you reframe a client’s objection you arechanging the tone of what they said, and you shouldavoid putting words into their mouth—note the use of“it appears to me” in the example above.
TIPKEEP TRYINGDon’t worry if theway you reframe theobjection is offtarget. Ask thecustomer to correctyou and keep tryinguntil you get it right.
Setting objectivesWhen you reframe the concern as a need, make sureit is a need that you are able to address. For example,don’t say something like ”It seems like you need toget a lower price” if you can’t move on price. Instead,try “As I understand it, you need to see more clearlythe cost/value equation here.”After you have reframed the objection, conﬁrm withthe customer that they agree with your interpretation.You have now converted their objection into a newobjective—with the client’s agreement you can nowmove toward meeting the objective and edge closerto closing the deal.
CASE STUDYReframing for successReframing is not restricted to sellingsituations. A multibillion dollarcompany was in the process of selectinga new CEO: during the interviews, oneof the leading candidates waschallenged by the chairman. Thecandidate had a reputation for risktaking, and the chairman expressed hisworries about his judgment in ﬁnancial
decisions. The candidate’s reframe wentsomething like this: “My impression isthat you’re concerned about myreputation for trying new things andneed to feel comfortable that when itcomes to ﬁnancial decisions I willdemonstrate the ﬁduciary responsibilitythat the job demands. Is that correct?”He gave a great response and two dayslater he got the job.
60 Resolving objections and closing the sale
Discussing priceCustomers will always complain about price. Indeed, price resistanceis the most common objection salespeople will encounter and can bethe hardest to resolve. However, as with other types of objection,understanding why the customer is objecting and turning that objectioninto a need can be an effective way of managing the resistance.
TIPBE CLEAR ABOUTTHE VALUEDon’t confuse pricewith value: peopleare always willing topay more if theyunderstand the valuethey are getting fortheir money.
Understanding price resistanceEveryone wants to ﬁnd a good deal and feel like theyare getting a good price. However, objections aboutprice are sometimes used as a convenient reason toobject, but are really a smokescreen to mask otherissues. In these situations, it is important that youquestion your customer to determine what theunderlying issue really is. At other times, however, theobjection truly is all about price. In instances wherethe buyer is making his or her decision on price alone,there may be little leeway for negotiation, and youmay choose to walk away from the relationship.
Preempting the objectionIf you have undergone a thorough needs determination,when you make a recommendation your customershould not be surprised or shocked about the price.Needs determination should include a discussion ofwhat the customer is currently paying or expects to pay.Questioning the customer about their budget or pricingguidelines will help you recommend a price that is closeto what is expected. If the customer won’t answer yourquestions, give them a “sense of” cost: “Just so youknow, a program like this typically costs $100. Howdoes that sound?” You will quickly ﬁnd out whetherthis is a long way from what they expect to pay.
Discussing price 61
Resolving price objectionsThe objection-resolution process is your best tool indealing with price objections. Firstly, acknowledge theobjection as you would any other, for example:“I know you are trying to keep costs down.” Next,get the customer talking. Ask questions, and ﬁndout about any other offers they have had from yourcompetitors—how do they compare to yours? Arethe deals comparable with yours in terms of the valuedelivered? Learn as much as you can regarding howfar off you are in price from other offers.When resolving price objections, reframing theobjection is critical. Do everything you can to turnyour customer’s objection into a need, using phrasessuch as: “So if I understand you correctly, you need toknow what you will get for the additional 10 per cent,”“My understanding is that you need to know why wecharge a bit more than Company X and why it’s still inyour interest to buy from us…,” or “It appears to methat you need to feel comfortable with your decisionto pay us more than some of our competitors…”If the customer agrees with your reframe, go aheadand address the need. Give it your best shot, and seeif they will accept your point of view. You will besurprised at how an objection often turns out to beless signiﬁcant than it originally appeared to be.
TIPCHOOSE YOURQUESTIONSCAREFULLYGetting a customerto elaborate aboutprice or cost issues isa delicate matter. Besensitive in yourapproach, usingquestions such as“How far off arewe?” or “Can youtell us a bit more?”
IN FOCUS... LOWERING YOUR PRICEThe last thing you should do is loweryour price without taking somethingoff the table. If you provide a quoteand a customer objects, and you thensubsequently drop your price, themessage is clear—you were chargingtoo much originally. This sentimentcan have serious negative impact onfurther business and your customer’s
perception of you. If you do have tolower the price (which happens), letthe customer know what you have toremove or reduce from the originalproposal. As a last resort, let themknow you are lowering the price toearn your way in, but that the originalprice was fair and this is a short-termoffer that you will not repeat.
62 Resolving objections and closing the sale
Responding to objectionsOnce you have reformulated your customer’s objection into a need, it’stime to respond. Usually, this is straightforward—the answers lie in whatyou have already proposed and in knowledge you already have—butsometimes you will need to be creative to lead your client to a solution.
Playing to your strengthsBefore you can move to the ﬁnal stage of the sellingprocess—closing—you need to deal deﬁnitively withthe customer’s objections (or unfulﬁlled needs, as weknow them) by using all means at your disposal (seeopposite). If you still cannot not resolve the objections,you need to revert to problem-solving mode. If youstill draw a blank, call a time out and ask to comeback in a day or two with fresh ideas to move forward.Your customer will respect you for it in the long run.
TIPBE RELAXEDRemember thatcustomers ask somequestions that arenot objections—simply plainquestions. Justbecause someoneasks you aboutinventory issuesdoesn’t necessarilymean they areworried about them.
Mopping up the concernsYour ﬁnal act in the objection-resolution process is tolearn if there are other objections. This may sound likeopening Pandora’s Box, but it’s critical. If otherobjections do exist, you need to learn about thembecause if you fail to uncover them now, they willcertainly spoil the deal later. So ask the question.Keep your inquiry neutral and use expressions like:“Is there anything else we need to discuss?”Try to stay away from negative language and termssuch as “objections” or “issues” or “concerns.” Ifyou use words like these, you can give the customerthe impression that you know something that theydon’t. Keep it simple. If objections remain, go backand repeat the process until you have removed allthe obstacles in the way of closing.
CREATA ECONFIDENCE INYOUR SOLUTIONSReview similarproblems that youhave solved forother clients.
REVIEW THEFEATURESAND BENEFITSGo back overthese trustedselling tools.
SELL YOURCOMPANYTalk about yourTcompany’s history,successes, andcommitment toexcellence.
64 Resolving objections and closing the sale
Closing the saleOver the years, salespeople’s ingenuity has given life to scores of“sureﬁre” closing techniques. Going by names such as the Puppy-dogClose, the Distraction Close, and the Treat Close, some are justgimmicky, while others border on the manipulative. Their faults lie inthe fact that they all see closing as a special technique, rather than thenatural outcome of a problem-solving dialogue with the client.
TIPBE GRACIOUSAlways thank thecustomer for theirbusiness—it is theclassy thing to do.
Approaching the closeYou have built the relationship, determined the needs,made great recommendations, and resolved thecustomer’s objections. It’s time to close—to ask for thebusiness. So why do so many sales professionals ﬁndthis step so difﬁcult? The answer is simple—it is thatfear of rejection rearing its ugly head once again.This fear pushes many experienced salespeopletoward canned “closes,” like the Speciﬁc Terms Close,where the idea is to present the customer with aprearranged buying scenario, and then ask them toagree to it. For example: “We can deliver 10 paletteson May 12 for $1,000—is that OK?” Of course, onoccasion, this approach—and others in a similar vein—may bring about a sale, but often the customer willthink you are being presumptive and rude. It’s cannedselling at its lowest.
Assuming the bestTo close a deal you shouldn’t need to rely on cornyclosing tactics. You need simply to demonstrate thesame credibility, integrity, and degree of interactionwith the customer that you showed throughout theselling process. Don’t change the basis of yourhard-won relationship at this point.
Closing the sale 65
Assume that if the customer does not have a reasonnot to buy, he or she is ready to buy. This is calledthe Assumptive Close. In this Assumptive Close, thedialogue with the customer is very direct, and goessomething like this:
SALESPERSON:
“Anything elsewe need todiscuss?”
CUSTOMER:
“No, not thatI can think of.”
SALESPERSON:
CUSTOMER:
“So everythingseems OK?”
“Yes, Ibelieve so.”
The point is clear even thoughthe words you choose may vary: youask the customer if there are otherconcerns. If they say no, you doublecheck. If everything seems OK, justask for the business.
SALESPERSON:
“Great, thenhow do we getstarted?”
Asking and gettingIf you’ve done your job well up to this point, thecustomer will know that you have something valuableto offer and will want to buy from you; moreoverthey’ll want you to ask for their business. If you don’t,you’re expecting the customer to do your job. Itseems obvious, but if you don’t ask for the business,you’re much less likely to get it.
Resolving objections and closing the sale
Planning for completionOnce there has been a commitment to buy, close thesale by beginning to pin down the speciﬁcs. Agood way to cover all the key variablesis to answer the “four Ws”—whwill do what by when with helpfrom whom? When you have theanswers to these questions,you are ready to execute.If you don’t close thedeal—and, of course, youwon’t always—it is vital tokeep the momentum of theselling process going. Setobjectives for resolving issuesand be clear about what has tobe done before the next meetinExperienced salespeople will teyou that the only time you fail in a salescall is when you don’t get a next step.
Consolidating the closeEveryone needs reassurance after making a largepurchase—to silence the nagging voice asking ifthey did the right thing (discussed earlier in thischapter). With this in mind, it is important to makesure that you are highly visible to the customer afteryou have closed the deal. Some salespeople say that“the real selling starts after you get the business,”and it’s hard to argue with the sentiment. With hardwork, anyone can get the ﬁrst order; it’s the ones whoget the second, third, and fourth who are the mostsuccessful. Whatever you do, don’t fall into thestereotypical image of a “love ‘em and leave ‘em”salesperson. If you do, your relationship will bea short one. Guaranteed!
Closing the sale 67
To be successful repeatedly, you need to acknowledgethe transfer of power that occurs when the dealis closed. When a customer is a prospect, they holdall the cards, but once they commit to the deal, theylose some of that power because they are dependentupon you to deliver. It’s uncomfortable for them, andit is a good reason for you to show humility afterclosing the deal—it’s not the time to whoop andpunch the air.
Collecting for success
TIPJUST ASKAsk for the business,even if it feelsuncomfortable.Research hasrevealed thatcustomers rankasking for theirbusiness as thesixth most importantreason for doingthe deal.
There is a distasteful acronym out there in theworld of selling—ABC, Always Be Closing—thatreﬂects the strong emphasis placed on closing bymany sales managers. Of course, closing is important,but it shouldn’t be viewed as an isolated goal.Transform this unhealthy acronym into an ABC thatwill help you—Always Be Collecting: only when youconsistently question, understand, and resolve issuestogether with your customer will you be on theroad to success.
CASE STUDYUsing a “closer”A young salesman had called on thesame client twice a month for two years.Sensing he was close to his ﬁrst order,he brought his boss with him. The juniorsalesman reviewed price agreements,credit terms, and product speciﬁcationswith the client. He kept asking thecustomer if everything was approved,whether they were satisﬁed, and if therewere any other questions. All theanswers were positive, but the salesmanjust couldn’t pull the trigger. Finally, themanager lost patience and blurted out
“Well then, how about an order?” Thecustomer’s response was “What tookyou so long to ask?”The customer was obviously readyto buy and the young salesman’sreluctance to close was only raisingsuspicions in the client’s mind. If themanager hadn’t stepped in, the salecould have been lost.However, using a more senior personas a “closer” is a poor selling model:the salesperson should feel adequatelyequipped, trained, and empowered toask for the business.
68 Resolving objections and closing the sale
Moving beyond the closeAfter you have closed, you earn yet another great opportunity todifferentiate yourself from the competition. Following through goesbeyond just following up on your promises—doing what you said youwould do professionally and on time. Following through meansexceeding what’s expected of you and so sending the clear messageto your customers that you are consistently thinking about them.
Following upFollow-up is doing whatever you committed to do atthe end of the sales meeting with your customer. It isa process that you initiate to ensure that objectivesare accomplished and commitments are fulﬁlled.It is your responsibility to make sure that all of yourorganization’s resources are doing what is needed tomove the relationship to the next level. Will thesamples be there on time? Is everyone aware of andable to meet the agreed upon delivery dates? Is theteam committed to participate in the next meeting?Every single sales call you make—from a briefcatch-up meeting to a formal presentation—deservesa follow-up letter. This can be a letter, an email, oreven a handwritten note—whatever suits both yourstyle and the occasion—but must follow every call.
IN FOCUS... TRACKING CONTACTTime speeds by. It’s not hard for 90days to pass before you realize thatyou haven’t made any contact with acustomer. “Out of sight… out ofmind” may be a cliché, but it’s true:and if you haven’t been in touch witha client, it’s a safe bet that your
competitor has. To prevent longsilences, track how often you makecontact with your customers. Use aspreadsheet, graph paper, orwhatever suits your style to recordevery face-to-face meeting, as wellas phone calls, letters, and emails.
Moving beyond the close 69
The letter should thank the customer for their time,review what was discussed, and deﬁne the next steps.It can also serve as a reminder of who committed todo what by when.
Following throughWhen you follow through, you do more than you needto. Here are some ways you can surprise yourcustomers with your level of commitment:• Regularly check how things are progressinginternally, and communicate effectively to everybodyinvolved on a day-to-day basis.• Send your customers a list of follow-up activities anddeliverables, including dates; make sure you meetthem consistently.• Let your customer know well in advance if for somereason you can’t meet a deliverable.• Send emails updating your customers withoutrequesting a response. This instils conﬁdence thatyou have their interests in mind all the time.
MAKING THE MARK
!FAST TRACK
OFF TRACK
Promising and delivering
Overpromising and underdelivering
Putting it in writing
Assuming the customer understands
Being visible
Being a nuisance
Being consistently professional
Forgetting details
Showing interest in doing business
Appearing desperate or overanxious
70 Index
IndexA
I
acknowledging objections 54Active Listening 35agenda, sales meetings 29aggression, reacting to resistance 51appointments, approachingcustomers 24assertiveness 56Assumptive Close 65
ideas, offering new 46–7information: collecting data onobjections 54–7prioritizing 45interviewers, on television 31
customers (continued)closing the sale 63, 64–7consolidating deal with 66–7credentials presentation 26–7feedback from 48–9follow-up 68–9following through 69initial contact with 24–5keeping contact with 68listening to 7, 34–5, 39making recommendations to42–9beneﬁts: in client presentations 42–3offering ideas to 46–7responding to objections 63opening sales meetings 28–9speciﬁc beneﬁts 44–5planning approach 22–3big-picture questions 32, 33questioning 30–3resolving objections 50–63brainstorming 36–7targeting the pitch 44–5brochures 44business needs 20understanding needs of 8–9,16–41buyers see customersbuyer’s remorse 51buying behavior 53buying decisions 50–1decisions, justifying 52defensiveness, reacting toresistance 51differentiating your companyCitibank 18“closers” 6714–15closing techniques 63, 64–7Coca Cola 30cognitive dissonance 51, 52cold calls 24–580/20 rule 16emails 24, 68, 69colleagues: joint sales meetingsempathy 11, 21, 38, 5640–1exit strategy, risk management 13responding to objections 63complacency 21conﬂict resolution, resolvingobjections 52–3, 56Consumer Banking Group 18fact ﬁnding 31, 33creativity 7, 36–7features: in client presentations42–3, 44credentials presentation 26–7responding to objections 63curiosity 56customers: appealing to 10–13feedback 48–9follow-up 68–9becoming complacent about 21building relationships with 6–15following through 69
B
D
C
E
F
Jjoint sales meetings 40–1justifying decisions 52
Llateral thinking 36–7leads 24letters: approaching customers24follow-up 68–9Levitt, Theodore 18listening skills 7, 34–5, 39
MMaister, David 11meetings see sales meetingsmir