They are programmed to say “No.”
Most people don’t want to do what we do. Calling people you don’t know and asking them to meet with you isn’t something most folks daydream about doing.
I’m not up for a comprehensive series of posts dedicated to proactive telephone coaching, but I would like to throw out this one helpful concept as we head into Selling Season:
Be prepared to ask 3 times for the meeting.
Yup, 3 times. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve coached come back to share their success from being willing to ask 3 separate times for the meeting.
The truth is that it doesn’t matter how calm and confident your voice tone is. Or how succinct, compelling and prospect-centered you are with your opening statement. Why doesn’t it matter? Because they are programmed to say no . It’s that simple. Whether it’s the abundance of sales hacks out there who have poisoned the water for us professionals, or the fact that many buyer’s reflex reaction is simply no when asked for a meeting. Whatever the reason, the vast majority of time, we get told no. That’s why a new business hunter must have a healthy amount of D on the DISC behavior style model. I’ve seen too many low D hunters fail because they don’t like conflict and won’t push past resistance. More on that theory another time.
My challenge: Be prepared to ask 3 times for the meeting. Prepared means you are expecting to be told no. It also means you are ready with objection busters to the most common bogus or real reasons a prospect gives for not agreeing to meet.
Try it. Experience shows that you’ll be amazed at how often it’s on the third ask the prospect relents and invites you in.
