“Your goal is to create a space where it’s a win-win for everyone, not just the client.” – Meshell Baker in today’s Tip 1617
How do you convert difficult conversations to dollars?
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from Meshell Baker, our favorite sales confidence igniter and authentic selling crusader. Here she is:
Meshell Baker: Hello. Today I want to talk about converting difficult conversations to dollars. I’m going to start with a quote by Audre Lorde, and that quote is, “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” Know this, as a seller and a sales leader, we will always be faced with difficult conversations. The whole business of sales means that you are moving people into uncomfortable conversations about things that have not transpired yet. You are creating a promise of possibility, which in itself is going to create high levels of discomfort for people. Even if they’re excited about what you have to offer, even they’re excited about the possibility, it is still a place of uncertainty. And uncertainty in most humans means uncomfortable, which is a slippery slope to difficulty.
Now, having said that, your ability to maneuver in these spaces with the knowing that no matter what happens, it’s still going to be favorable for everybody is your superpower. So first and foremost, when you know that there’s a high propensity for discomfort, or if you know that there’s been difficult, or you know that there’s something not quite right, determine the outcome before you ever reach out. Decide that this is not a bad thing. This is just part of my profession. This is part of the process and my value to this opportunity to this person that I’m about to reach out to is incredible. If you do not decide and determine that the outcome is favorable before you pick up and dial, you will most certainly create more discomfort, which will create more difficulty in moving that person through to the sale. So determine that is going to be a win-win and favorable for all. First.
Second, when you call them, make certain to ask them, Is this a good time? And schedule a time to follow up. Do not attempt to have that difficult conversation when they answer. Schedule time to have an appropriate space to communicate clearly and so that you know that you have the time to move through that. That’s the second thing.
Three, do not take it personal. This is one of the hardest things to do in sales because you are a person, you’re a human being with feelings, and so are they. So staying out of the right and wrong. People take it personally when they feel like they’ve been made wrong, when they feel like they don’t understood, when their expectations aren’t met. This is when your personal feelings get involved and being in a space that no matter what happens, I’ve determined a favorable outcome. So if my feelings start to be triggered, those aren’t the right feelings because that’s not taking me to favorable.
Remember, you can’t get to a positive profitable outcome from a negative mindset. So set yourself up to think in terms of outcomes, not feelings. Focus on the future, not the feelings. Have a set of questions. If you need to go role-play with someone, reach out to someone, do that beforehand. Talk to someone who’s had incredible success in sales and come with some questions that you can ask instead of making assumptions. Be prepared to ask more questions and that helps guide the other person to experience their and help them get creative so that you guys together can create a favorable outcome that lead to dollars and move through the difficulty.
And again, work with them to find solutions. Think solutions. Think how we can make this better. Think how this can work it out. Be willing to say, Hey, I know this might feel weird or it might have started off weird, and I believe that there’s a possibility for something incredible. That’s why I’m reaching out to you. There’s nothing wrong with being honest, authentic, and vulnerable. People appreciate that instead of focusing on being right.
The last thing I’ll focus on is be willing to walk away. Your goal is to create a favorable experience and environment. If that person isn’t willing to come to that level, then they are going to emotionally drain you. And even if you get the money, the work that you’ll need to put in will be so debilitating that it won’t be that worth the dollars. Your goal is to create a space where it’s a win-win for everyone, not just the client.
And I’ll just wrap up with this, a quote by Maya Angelou. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Create favorable win-win circumstances and your desired outcome is to move people from difficult to dollars so that everybody lives in a space of, This is a great outcome. This is a great product. This is a great service. Have a great day selling.
Scott Ingram: To connect with Meshell for an easy win/win conversation, click over to DailySales.Tips/1617. Once you’ve clicked over there, be sure to click right back here for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!