|
Give 'Em Truth Harry! In 1945, President Harry Truman was called "Give 'Em Hell Harry". Harry Truman would reply "I never gave anyone hell. I just told them the truth. They thought it was hell." I love that line because it's so accurate.
We shun the truth so many times that we lose count. Think about how often you actually may be lying to customers and you don't even know it. For example, you walk in to greet a prospect for the first time and he/she asks you, "Is your product better than what I am using right now?" or "Do you have a solution that helps us fix this problem?". What’s ironic here is that most sales people respond with "You betcha. We have helped hundreds of customers … yada yada yada”, when, in reality, you really don't know if you can help them. We are so programmed to "rescue" the customer and tell them endless features and benefits right-off-the-bat that we forget what's important … the truth! Do you really know if you can help them yet? Of course not - you just met them! Chances are, you don’t know what the competition is doing, their decision process, their budget or how they buy. Therefore, you really have no idea if you can help them yet! So, tell them you don’t know. That’s the truth.
The worst part about being a salesperson is the title "salesperson". It has a negative connotation for most people. I know, I know … I have heard plenty of people say, "I'm proud to be a salesperson!", which is great. I'm proud to have two beautiful children, but I don't go around making a statement about it. The difference here is that there isn't anything negative about having children, so we don't have to explain ourselves. But we do have to say we're proud to be salespeople. You'd think we were recovering alcoholics or something. The first step is admitting you are a salesperson: “Yes, I am proud to be a salesperson. I really believe I am helping people. I'm not ‘selling’ anything. I listen to people tell me their problems. Then, I ask them if they want to fix their problem. If they do, I see if I can help them fix it. If I can, I congratulate them for finding a solution that will help them.” It's that simple, gang. Now, you don’t sound like the stereotypical salesperson and you’re telling the truth!
So the next time your customer asks you, "Are you more expensive than your competition?", tell them this: "Absolutely. I've never had anyone say to me, ‘You're so cheap, we'll take two!’ But Mr./Mrs. Customer, you obviously made that statement for a reason. Do you mind if I ask you if getting the lowest price is the driving force here? Can you help me understand that better?"
Or, better yet, tell them this story: "Mr./Mrs. Customer, Harry Truman was once called: ‘Give 'Em Hell Harry’ and he said, ‘It wasn't hell. It was the truth. They just thought it was hell.’ Well, my biggest fear is I may be deemed as Harry Truman here because I will be totally honest with you. I am more expensive, but there are some good reasons why. Do you mind if I ask you a question first ... ". At this point, you want to get them talking about service, support, response times, delivery, guarantees and all the things that do make you more expensive. This way, you educate the customer and you get them to lower their guard. How? By telling the truth! And I can promise you will win more business this way, simply by being different and honest.
Have fun and go help someone. There are tons of people out there who need you. It's sad you can't get to all of them in one day. |
>> FIND OUT MORE
|