Last October we turned to business coach Leanne Hoagland-Smith who offered her advice on Avoiding The 7 Mistakes Most Entrepreneurs Make – Entrepreneur University. Leanne Hoagland-Smith works with individuals just like you who want improved results personally or organizationally. She works to improve human capital for sustainable transformational change by developing results driven leadership in people, teams and organizations.
Today we turn to Leanne again to get her advice on why potential customers so no in the sales process:
“Business people do not buy for many reasons. Usually the resistance also called stalls and objections to buying something begins with the simple word of No. However, behind this no are numerous reasons. These No’s are not in a ranking order as individuals are unique as our their reasons for not buying.
No time – Time is a precious commodity. Many people simply lack the time to go out and make good buying decisions. Just think how many times you had to call your prospect before you even schedule your first meeting?
No relationship – People buy from people they know. If the relationship has not been established, then the hope for a sales strategy takes over. And we all now that hope is not the best sales strategy.
No budget – People in business just as in their own personal lives want a lot of stuff from products to services. However a business runs on a budget and sometimes the dollars are not available at that moment in time.
No desire – The old age goes No one wants to be sold, but everyone loves to buy. If there is no desire, then why would I want to buy anything?
No reason – People buy for a reason or a need. If there is no reason to buy services, there is potentially no sale unless the salesperson can find a reason.
No faith – Even with an established relationship, faith must be present within that relationship. We know many people and like the, but would we do business with all of them? I think not.
No Knowledge – Knowledge is critical to understanding the value of the product or service specific to the buyer. Also, the seller’s knowledge must be credible to ensure his or her expertise to the buyer.
There are probably several more Nos that could be added to this list. However from my experience as a business coach helping struggling businesses to increase sales, these are the main ones that I have heard.
If you wish to increase sales, then make sure you can overcome most of these Nos if not all of them. Even if there is no budget, are you sure and if so, if the client has enough value, then stay in contact with him or her. Do not let the Nos keep you from business success.”
