If I have heard this once I have heard it a thousand times. You walk into a customer and before they know anything about you or what you are selling they tell you, “No thanks I’m good” or something to that effect.
Well let me tell you a few things that I have found about customers. In many cases they are telling you the truth when they tell you they are happy with what they have now. Also, 80% of the customers that start out with this statement are willing to buy from you IF you can show them that you are not “JUST ANOTHER SALES REP”.
Let’s talk about my first point. When a customer tells you they are happy with what they have most of the time it means they are happy with what they have. Being happy doesn’t mean being satisfied. Think about why they are happy, maybe the fact that they don’t need to keep looking makes them happy not the performance of the product or service.
This multiple meaning of “HAPPY” leads me to my second point being 80% (or more) of the customers that start with this statement are willing to buy from you if you can show them you are not just another sales rep.
Telling a sales rep they are happy has gotten rid of the BAD REPS, customers don’t want to buy from a bad rep anyway. By showing the customer that you are not like the others and that you have their best interest in mind not just making a quick buck, will separate you from the pack and put you in a position to at least continue the conversation past “I’m Happy”.
The conversation I usually have goes something like this (depending on what sports season it is), “Mr. Customer nothing makes me happier than when I hear someone like yourself tell me they are happy, and I am not here to in any way interfere with what you are doing now. Let me ask you a question, have you ever seen a baseball team with only one pitcher? Neither have I, a good manager wants to have options that will keep the team playing ball at top performance levels in case something happens to their star. What I would like you do is give me a chance to be that backup pitcher. Take a look at what I have so if in the event something happens you know that you have options and understand how my product or service will be able to step in. I can do this now or I will be back in the area next Wednesday and could see you at 3:15, which works better for you?”
My goal isn’t to make the customer unhappy, I just want to get my chance at showing them my product or service so I can explain to them how much happier they will be using my product. The real beauty of this approach is if I don’t make the sale now, it will only be a matter of time. My persistence, professionalism, perseverance, and product will eventually get me a chance to show them what I can do and how well I can do it. Some of the greatest players in every game started as backups, once given a chance they become the star.
Don’t let a simple "I’m happy" keep you in the shadows of the competition, step onto the mound and throw your very best pitch!
Lorin
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