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The Fifth Thing You Must Never Say To A Prospect Or Customer

by Claude Whitacre
6 replies
I just got done reading an excellent post on the 4 things you must never say to a customer.

And now here is my addition to that.

Never criticize a prospect/buyer's previous buying decision. Never.

Why? Because you are telling them that they make bad buying decisions, and that they shouldn't buy from a salesperson.

Even if they didn't buy from a competitor, don't degrade your competition. Because if you do, you are talking down your entire industry.

So...what if they bought something that made no sense? Compliment the decision. Why? Because you want to affirm to them that buying is good. Buying is the right thing to do. Buying will get them compliments.

I know that this sounds manipulative and simplistic. But I can tell you from decades of sales experience...and decades of watching incompetent salespeople destroy any chance of a sale...this is often the cause, insulting a previous buying decision...or insulting a competitor that the sales prospect has considered.

And...you never know the story of their previous decisions. What if it was recommended by their brother, a beloved Aunt? Now you are criticizing a loved one without knowing it.

So...what do you do if they bought a bad product or service? Compliment the process they went through to decide. Compliment the fact that they took action. Compliment the fact that ...at the time...they decided based on the best information available. Compliment the fact that they did something to help themselves (or their family/business) And compliment the person that recommended this previous decision....because they had the customer's best interests at heart. And they were going with the information available to them at the time.

And now they have new information...new options available...they can make another good buying decision.

The important thing here is that the prospect is able to Save Face. Insulting their buying choices lowers their feeling of Self Worth. And if you insult a previous buying decision...the only way the prospect can get back their feeling of self worth..is to not buy from you.

And you'll never know what happened.

My 2 cents.
#customer #prospect #thing
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  • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
    Reminds me of a lesson I've learned from one of my favorite books, "How to Win Friends and Influence People". As soon as you get into any argument or even a disagreement, it's very difficult to get the other person to do what you want them to do. Stay away from any kind of confrontation in sales to improve the closing numbers.

    It's critical to keep the potential customer in a positive flow of thoughts. Bashing the competition often backfires as it comes across as desperate. The customer can be completely wrong about the facts, but if you try to correct them or prove them wrong, so what if you're right? You won't get the sale!
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by palmtreelife View Post

      As soon as you get into any argument or even a disagreement, it's very difficult to get the other person to do what you want them to do. Stay away from any kind of confrontation in sales to improve the closing numbers.
      Not just confrontations. Answering sales objections often...almost always...becomes a matter of Selling By Arguing. And that's another big reason salespeople lose sales. You can listen. (It's hard to argue with a man while he is really listening to you), Ask questions (nobody ever argues with what they are saying themselves), and let them lead themselves to the right conclusion.

      Here is an unbreakable law of nature. I call it "Claude's Law".
      When the prospect is talking, and you are listening to them....their brain is entirely focused on what they are saying. And When you are talking about them in a complimentary way, they are completely focused on what you are saying. But when you start arguing with them. They are completely focused on defending the last thing they said. And they view your points as an attack on their thinking. That's how you make it impossible for them to buy



      Originally Posted by palmtreelife View Post

      It's critical to keep the potential customer in a positive flow of thoughts. Bashing the competition often backfires as it comes across as desperate.
      It also comes across as a low life, self serving ploy. It's also so....amateurish...so juvenile.
      It shows a complete lack of conviction in your industry, your company, and your offer.

      If you bash a previous buying decision...or say something bad about your competition....you send the clear message that "Nobody ever buys from me, and it makes me mad". And nobody wants to buy from someone...that nobody else buys from.

      I wish I could carve that last sentence into the bones of every salesperson. The last few ideas are the reason there are 15% closers (the majority) and 75% closers in the same company, calling on the same prospects...in the same market with the same offer.

      The two points in this post alone took me two decades to learn on my own, and that ignorance cost me a small fortune.
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      One Call Closing book https://www.amazon.com/One-Call-Clos...=1527788418&sr

      “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho
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      • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
        The two points in this post alone took me two decades to learn on my own, and that ignorance cost me a small fortune.
        That's fine! Two decades is a LOT longer for those who never learn these points, and cost people a lot more than a small fortune.
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  • Profile picture of the author aduttonater
    I always say congratulations for testing out the other marketing services. In fact they are great. However if you try our service you will see how our advanced techniques separate us from the other companies.
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    http://newinnovativeenterprises.weebly.com
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  • Profile picture of the author cearionmarie
    I've also just finished reading the "4 things never to say to a customer" and I think your addition is just perfect. Being able to establish that bond between you and your customer can go a very long way.
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    Cearion Uy - Marketing Advisor
    www.influencerauditor.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Medon
    The key thing here is that the customer is always right no matter what! So trying to criticize them is a contradiction. If you are a salesperson, play ball. Unless you are in the IML. With IML, you can reap from your previous effort.
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