Know the Client: Why Doing Extra "Homework" Pays Off

There are times when you might say to yourself, “I’ve been pitching this prospect, Bill, for months now.  Why hasn’t he bought yet?”  Bill’s the decision-maker and your product or service is within his budget.  What gives?  Why isn’t he buying?

Well, there might be several reasons why he’s not picking up the pen and signing the deal.  It’s not because he’s super pleased with the service he has now.  If that were the case he wouldn’t keep taking your calls.  Something’s not clicking between the two of you, and you might think it’s Bill’s fault, that he’s “a bit off” and “just likes talking to salespeople.” 

That’s probably not the case.  Maybe the real problem, the obstacle, is you yourself.  Your thinking is:  What am I doing wrong?  What’s wrong with Bill?  Well, your thought process is what’s wrong.  Number one, you’re focusing more on yourself than on Bill.  Number two, ask yourself, “What’s right with Bill?”  That’s what you need to find out.  That’s the missing ingredient in sealing the deal.  You need to find out more about him and his company and his product.  You need to do extra homework to make it happen. 

Forget the fact that Bill is the president of some division of XYZ.  What exactly does he do?  Who are his clients?  Is your post pitch dialogue the same old spiel or do you constantly search for that idea which will fire him up and finally make him buy?

By the way, have you googled Bill lately?  He just launched a product in China.  He gave a big speech in Rome, Italy.  He was just on MSNBC.

Successful salespeople find a common bond with the prospect.  They listen and zero-in on areas that interest the prospect, and then they hammer it home over and over again.  They sit back and let the prospect open up and that takes the sales process to the next level.  Bill says to himself, “I like this guy.  He respects me and is genuinely interested in my opinions.”

Do you offer Bill solutions to his problems?  Salespeople love to talk about how the prospect is going to see an ROI if they buy.  What about talking about an STP (Solution To Problem)?  The more you know about Bill and his company and what he does on a daily basis, the closer you get to becoming a partner.  A partner.  You’re not just a salesperson, you’re a potential partner—you want Bill to succeed because if he’s successful and sees that someone has his back your job becomes a lot easier.

            And you’re that much closer to getting the deal.