It’s becoming cliché to be “buyer focused,” however sellers still focus more on their messaging than their buyer because it’s easier. It’s also easier for sellers to miss buying signals (positive and negative) when navel gazing.
Two examples from role plays in sales development sessions at Sandler Calgary illustrate the types of cues sellers can miss.
Body Language
- Seller (gently) – “if you feel like our company isn’t the right one to support you in solving the issues that you’ve shared with me on the phone, are you okay to say so, as to not waste each other’s time?
- Buyer (clasps hands together between legs, bows head) – I would be okay with that…
This buyer’s reaction prompted a 20-minute discussion on reading the whole response instead of waiting to hear some version of “yes” before this seller moves to the next line in their prepared plan. What also came out of our discussion in session was if a seller feels like a buyer is saying “yes” only to avoid saying “no” then it’s on the seller to gently confirm that their buyer truly meant to say “yes.” If the seller skips confirmation, they’ll likely run into a roadblock later in their sale.
Tonality and Word Choice
- Buyer (emotional) – well, I really feel overwhelmed by how to solve this issue and am looking for someone to help me out.
- Seller – okay, I’ll send you a proposal tomorrow and follow up with you next week then.
Yes, that was a real, unscripted response in a role play. The seller who gave the response wasn’t wrong. They had been trained previously to find a “prospect” would grant them any amount of time, build a “relationship” in that time then send a proposal via email and follow up ad nauseum until they or their prospect gave up. The discussion in the room was lively and gave our clients a new understanding of what they were and were not allowed to ask about (for example, it’s okay to ask what “overwhelmed” means).
It may feel good to laugh at the sellers and the buyers in these scenes, but they were doing what felt right to them under pressure. We encourage our clients to put the pressure on the process and not the person. The leaders we work with practice with their sellers to create “muscle” memory so they keep or increase their credibility in front of their buyers.
Until next time… go lead.
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