Too often people make the assumption that in Sales, assumptions are bad. That is a bad assumption. A poor Sales assumption at that.
Assumptions are great. We need to make assumptions. Assumptions assist us in setting a direction, they give us something to aim for or a place to go. But indeed, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is, we must remember, there are two types of assumptions in Sales. Positive and False.
An assumption is something we take for granted, and when this turns out to be false, we call it a false assumption. There are numerous false assumptions people in sales might make. For example, a salesperson might falsely assume that a client’s problems are easy to fix. Not to the client they are not!
So, with both positive and false Sales assumptions in mind, here we have gathered for you a list of 6 GOOD AND BAD ASSUMPTIONS SALESPEOPLE MAKE, and how to turn those assumptions into result driven activity with serious ROI!
Positive Assumptions in Sales
POSITIVE | MY BEST PRICE IS REALLY MY BEST PRICE
When a client asks the question, “Is that your best price?” why do we reply, “Let me see if I can do better”? In KONA’s The Art of Correct Negotiation Training Workshops, we do an exercise where 80 percent of the participants caved when asked that question. You need to go to the negotiating table with the assumption that you are presenting your lowest price. But then again, why are you selling on price? Why aren’t you selling solutions? Make things happen!
POSITIVE | THIS IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY
Eternal optimists are indeed wonderful to be around.
Everyday has something good in it! Why would you get out of bed if you did not believe this assumption?
“If I sell hard this month, it will grow my sales three months from now”. True. There is very little you can do to affect your sales this month. It is what it is. But what about the next few months?
You should be working on your sales three to six months in advance. String together three months’ worth of hard prospecting and combine it with the above “This is going to be a great day” assumption and you will have something to look forward to. That is, Sales! Make things happen!
POSITIVE I DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING
The sooner you acknowledge that, the smarter you already are. You can always, always, learn something new and improve your sales efficiency. No matter how well you are handling your time management, there is always time to grow your knowledge. There is always fat on that bone. However, this assumption is a curse every bit as much as it is a blessing.
Just because you could work harder does not mean you should. As much as it is important to “not just sit there, do something!” it is also important to “not just do something, sit there!”. Everyone gets the same number of hours in a week. If you are being outsold by a competitor or even by someone in your office, a part of the reason why comes from the fact that the other salesperson is more efficient with their Sales time or is trying something new that they learnt. Go and make new things happen!
False Assumptions in Sales
NEGATIVE | MY CUSTOMERS AREN’T HAPPY WITH THEIR BUSINESS
Wrong. If they were not, they would have already changed. Your job is to help them see why it is worth doing things differently. Focus only on what is relevant, actionable, and valuable to your prospect.
Help them envision how your solution will get them to their goals with greater ease. Leverage what you already know about your customers to ask better questions, deepen conversations, and establish credibility. Build that Effective Communication!
Through Effective Communication, that is Quality Questioning and Active Listening, you can demonstrate familiarity with your prospects’ business, processes, industry, issues and challenges to set yourself apart from the competition. Experiment with creative ways to get your customers saying, “Hmmm, that’s interesting. I’d like to learn more.” Make things happen!
NEGATIVE | THERE IS NO POINT LEAVING A VOICEMAIL MESSAGE
Here is an eye opener – voice mails actually hold a lot of value. For many, voice mail is considered a black hole of selling and a waste of time. But you in fact can gain a lot by leaving a professional message. Instead of thinking that your words are falling into the abyss, why not make the assumption that you are auditioning for the job? Every word, every inflection, every nuance is being scrutinised. Now, instead of leaving a bland voice mail message or worse, just hanging up, you see voice mail as a chance to demonstrate your selling skills as well as your persistency. Better preparation yields not only a better sales call, it also results in a better voice mail. Make things happen!
NEGATIVE | I HOPE TO FILL MY PIPELINE THIS WEEK
HOPE IS NOT A SALES STRATEGY! Nor is it a business strategy. Or a success story strategy. It is not a strategy for anything that requires a result. There is only one strategy for Sales, business, success, results – and that is ACTIVITY. Activity drives results. That is it. It is that simple.
The more active you are the bigger and stronger your pipeline. The FOUR specific activities you need to look at immediately for your pipeline growth:
- A clearly defined Sales Process
- Spending at least three hours per month on Pipeline Management
- Training Sales Managers on Pipeline Management
- Implementing Power Hour
So, pick your correct assumption and make it work. The old adage says when you assume, you make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.” – that is crap. That only happens if you do not validate the assumption before you act on it. If you validate it, there are no asses, rather there is just two people (you and your customer) on the same page ready to make things happen.
Now go make things happen – start by getting your team ahead of the competition and put them on KONA’s MAKE SALES HAPPEN Workshop. Onsite or Online. Contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 for a confidential conversation or email info@kona.com.au.
For many, 2020 comes pretty close to a curse word. And while there appears to be a chance of a resurgence at the moment, the fact remains, we still have no clear certainty about the path the pandemic will take businesses on next year. But that does not mean we just sit back and wait. You will not survive. Start getting Match Fit and Sales Ready in these closing months of 2020, otherwise 2021 will be even bleaker for businesses than this year was.
Companies that are still standing strong and successful today must be Sales Ready and prepare to adapt their approach on a strategic level in 2021. While we can’t predict the future, we can use what we’ve learned to shape our strategies and maximise prospecting potential for next year.
Here is a list of what we have learnt so far from the pandemic experience, and how to be Sales Ready, prepare for prospecting and go hard.
