fbpx

Go for the ‘No’

By Greta Schulz

Imagine this scenario: “Jane, this really does look like something interesting. I’ll go ahead and look this over and I’ll think about it and I’ll let you know. Why don’t you give me a call next week?” Later, Jane calls her prospect, Bob, and there’s no response.Then she tries again. And then again. And this goes on and on until somebody gives up—usually, that’s Jane.

What’s the biggest challenge in sales? Many of us would say, getting a “no.” But that’s not the biggest challenge. The No. 1 problem is wanting the process to end, and the reason that’s a big problem is because it’s a gray area. A no could be disguised as a maybe, and a maybe is nothing more than a possibility.

In sales, persistence is important, and follow-up is part of what we do in selling. Some people say that if you just keep following up, eventually you’ll break them down. I don’t call that “follow-up.” I call that stalking. True selling is two people coming to a conclusion—a conclusion that the conversation should move to the next step, that will eventually turn into a sale. If two people aren’t agreeing on what the next steps look like or that there should be one, then there won’t be one.

Most of the time, when somebody says they want to think something over, what they’re really saying is that you’re a nice person and they don’t want to tell you no, but they have no intention of doing anything.

This is a frustrating thing salespeople go through. So what do we do? Well, one thing is to make sure that when you’re selling, you have a sales process that works for you. A sales process is having an actual agenda of things that you know you need to go through—things you need to cross off your list before you move to the next step, and both you and the prospect have to agree on each of these steps along the way.

Give the option of a “no.” Yep, put it out there. Let them know it is an option and you’re OK with it. Why?

• You won’t be wasting time with tire kickers.

• Your prospect will know upfront you’re not desperate.

• If you get a “think it over,” you can discuss your earlier agreement.

• You will differentiate yourself and create a true consultation, as opposed to selling them.

Stop selling the old way. Remember the proverbial definition of insanity.♦

Greta Schulz is president of Schulz Business, a sales consulting and training firm. She is the best-selling author of “To Sell is NOT to Sell” and works with Fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurs. For more information or free sales tips, go to schulzbusiness.com and sign up for “GretaNomics,” a weekly video tip series, or email sales questions to greta@schulzbusiness.com.

You May Also Like

State Legislature Drops the Job Growth Ball

By Gary Press   With Florida facing historically high unemployment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, one would think our state government would be pulling out all of the stops to

Rethinking Sales Today

Today, more organizations increasingly are facing more competition, rapidly changing technology, slower market growth and less product differentiation. This trend requires business development professionals to manage more accounts, build stronger

The Future of the Office

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text] As I talked to my many office tenants in the first few weeks of the national shutdown, they were pleasantly surprised

Is your sales manager managing time well?

Is your sales manager balancing priorities properly? How do you know? Today a big question faced by most executives is, what is my sales manager doing and what should he

Other Posts

And Justice For All

By Monica St. Omer   Monica St. Omer has been working with me for eight years. She is my right-hand but so much more. She is a wonderful soul who

Keeping us connected

As a company that doesn’t directly serve the general public, SBA Communications might be called the quiet giant of the South Florida business scene even thought it’s on the S&P

Lessons learned

As I write this column, South Florida has yet to enter into a phase one reopening, lagging the rest of the state. I hope readers and their businesses are negotiating

Home-based work becomes a new normal

By Jennifer Flanagan Widespread office closures in the wake of the COVID-19  pandemic sent millions of white-collar employees home to work. This left the employees and their managers, some of

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.