Selling against the perception of tough economic times.

“What the hell was that?” You leave a call having tried a SAYA sale. It doesn’t work the way it was supposed to. 1) What actually happened and why? 2) I wish I woulda’…! 3) Now that it’s over what could/should I do?

Thanks to Vicki, for sharing her situation!
“I’ve been SAYA-ing for about 5-months now and mostly have the basic idea. I met with a suspect last week and, even though I was invited to meet with him because his current supplier was not very reliable. When we met, I couldn’t get him off the idea that I had to be cheaper if he was going to do business with me! I guess he got in my head, ‘cause I couldn’t get him off the topic of “being cheaper.”

I’m sure you hear that from time-to-time. Suspects are pushing back from a sale, and the "first blush" reason that's given is:
        "Well, you know how the economy is today!" or
        "We've had a spending freeze! No one knows what's going on." or
        "With all the cutbacks, it's hard to justify spending!" 

If you look at the stock reports on the constantly scrolling bar at the bottom of the TV screen, or listen to the Wall Street doom and gloom guys, you will definitely hear overtones of that philosophy! If you have accepted that mentality, guess what? The experts are right, and you might as well find something else to do with your time! Have you given up? If not, the sales professional digs in, tightens-up his skill set, and looks for truth! 

My first response: Are you talking about "money" or "cost" or "price"? There is a difference between money, price and cost!

• “Money is conceptual!” It is perceived value used to acquire perceived value.
• Price is the money required to buy a product or a service, and the features, necessary or unnecessary, related to that purchase.
• Cost is the monetary allocation associated with fixing a problem. 

There are companies and individuals who will not spend money, under any circumstance, but that isn't time sensitive! It just falls into the category of "My pain isn't that great, and I'm not going to worry about fixing it even if you have a product with great features...and my excuse is, we're not spending!”

Sure, money might be watched more closely. But in tough economic times, the decision makers also watch the problems that might be causing inefficiency and pain!

Today, more than ever, people will do things for their reasons, not the salespersons! With that in mind, the professional salesperson must become a heat seeking missile, looking for the prospect’s PAIN! Not just accepting the prospect's BS or first level deflection; really looking for PAIN!

If you quickly ("Deal with your greatest fears, upfront!") identify a suspect’s unwillingness or inability to spend money to solve her/his problems in the early stages of the sales flow even while setting the appointment, you might defuse the issue, or at worst case, if they really aren't going to spend money, save time! A line which many of our clients have learned to use, since "they" believe money is a concern, is: 

"When I speak to folks, maybe like you, I find that spending money, even to fix real, big problems, is impossible! Today, if we spend time, and uncover real problems here, and we associate them to real costs to your business success, are you telling me that you can't see your company spending money to solve them...no matter how much they're costing you?"

The professional salesperson, using tactics like his own “Not OK-ness”, and reversing the suspect’s response, helps the suspect tell the truth! The Pro helps the suspect see that there is an impact to doing nothing that is usually greater than the cost associated with solving the problem(s).

All we can hope for, from the sales process, is truth! If we've used our skills well, and believe our prospect, we don't want to push the process past the truth that they won't spend money to fix their problems. But we must push them to the point where their reasons are real, and we know it! 

If the suspect can continue to hide behind the “money issues” after we attempt to find their pain, maybe they’re only suspects, not prospects. 

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten!” 

Get tough, go back to basics, and keep the prospect’s story in perspective!