So… you have a prospect buying everything from your competitor.
Or . . . you have customers that buy a few products from you, but
not all that they could be buying.
How do you persuade them to start buying your product?
How do you convince your prospect to change his/her mind?
Maybe they are afraid to make a change - most people have the fear
that to make a change means taking a risk.
I had that fear five years ago when I made a big change. But one
thing convinced me it was okay to switch.
What Persuaded Me to Switch?
Nearly every day I saw television commercials advertising the
benefits of switching from Verizon Telephone Service (land line)
to the local cable company’s digital phone service.
Those ads did not convince me to switch.
One Conversation Made the Difference
Elizabeth, my next-door neighbor, was outside working in her
garden one warm and sunny Saturday, and we began talking about
telephone service - and the new digital phone service that had
become available in our area.
Elizabeth said she had switched to digital and it was working out
okay. Not only that, but her parents, brother and sister had also
changed from Verizon to the cable company’s digital phone service
and her family was happy with it.
AND - since the promotion included free upgrade of cable TV to
digital TV, I decided that would be the time to make the change.
I did it, but would not have switched had it not been for my
conversation with Elizabeth.
How can you persuade YOUR prospects to switch from their current
vendor - and buy from you?
Why They Might Not Want to Switch
• Bad past experience— They tried a product or service similar to
yours and were not happy with it, and/or
• They have heard horror stories about products like yours and/or
• They just don’t want to take the chance of having problems
Why They Won’t Buy and Why They Do
(1.) The salesperson looking for a sale during the first
phone call may be disappointed and/or not successful in the long
run. Building a good relationship is critical if you want to
keep the customer. The customer must feel s/he can trust the
salesperson, and most consumers do not want to buy when
high-pressure sales tactics are used.
(2.) It’s not that consumers don’t want to buy;
we all love buying. Just take a look at the crowded shopping
malls. On weekends it’s nearly impossible to find a place to park.
We like to buy – but we hate to be sold. That is why the
high-pressure hard-sell salesperson does not usually last in some
industries. It is also one of the reasons why sales on the
Internet have dramatically increased – because there is no
pressure to buy immediately. The consumer can browse and shop at
her own pace on her own time and can buy what and when she
chooses. But customers will not buy again on the Internet if there
are problems with the products they buy and if they cannot reach a
live person to help resolve the problem.
(3.) Customers - just like you and me - want to know that
they can easily reach a person (not an automated phone system)
when they call for help or with questions. If your company does
use an automated telephone system, make sure to give customers
your extension number and/or cell phone number, so they won’t have
to listen to multiple automated options when they call. The
comfort level must be there, and you should do anything you can to
make it easy for customers to reach you for help.
Two Ways to Convince Them to Switch to Your Company
If the customer feels the salesperson is really trying to help,
trust will be built. If the customer believes the salesperson and
believes that this product or service is truly different and
better than others, a sale can be made.
But what can really change the customer’s mind is learning that
other businesses are using your products successfully. That is why
it is critical to use testimonials from satisfied customers. Be a
name dropper (with permission). Tell prospects about well-known
businesses that are happy using your products and services.
A testimonial can create a customer faster than anything you can
tell the prospect.
When you say something good about yourself or your product, it’s
not nearly as effective as when other people say it. When others
say or write positive statements about you or your product, it is
proof. That is the essence of the testimonial. And it’s okay to
prompt customers about what you want them to say – IF what you
want them to say is the truth.
Ask for testimonials from happy customers, and in order to speed
up the process, fax, mail or email (with permission) a testimonial
request letter and fax-back form. You can copy and paste a free
testimonial request letter and fax-back form at
http://www.telephonesales.com/Testimonials.htm
Here is a fact about testimonials: They Work! They can help change
a prospect’s mind and convince them to buy from you.
Ann Barr is a consultant and sales coach who has written eight
books on sales and marketing. Email Ann at
Ann@SellingSupplies.com Get a free E-book when you sign up
for her free Weekly Sales Tips e-mailed newsletter at
www.annbarrblog.com
