5 Steps To Get To the 2nd Best Answer In Sales: Talk To More People

So here we are as promised, Step 2 of the “5 Steps To Get To “No” Faster and More Often”: Talk To More People.

No kidding, right?  In fact, I could literally end this post right now.  After all, you don’t need four or five more paragraphs to explain to you that if you want to hear “No” more often, the easiest way to accomplish it is to see more prospects.  Well, lucky for you I’m in a generous mood and you’re going to get those four or five (possibly six…we’ll see) paragraphs anyway.

It’s become popular lately to discount the idea that sales is a “numbers game”, and to some extent I agree; selling today is far more complex a matter than just who can make the most calls.  But at least during the prospecting and qualifying phases of the sales process, volume does count for something.  Look at a typical sales funnel report, and you can see that it never looks like a cylinder; they call it a “funnel” for a reason.  You have to see a lot of people in the initial stages to get down to those few who could truly become customers in the later stages.

In fact, if you consistenly track your numbers you’ll start to see ratios jumping off the page.  Maybe it’s 100 prospecting calls that lead to 25 qualifying appointments that result in 5 presentations that net you 1 new customer.  And what does that really mean?  It means that for every 1 new customer, you have to hear 99 “No”s.  Are you beginning to see why it’s so critical to get to “No” faster and more often?  Talking to more prospects and getting them to tell you “No” as early in the game as possible actually improves your ability to get to that coveted “Yes”.

And here’s something else to keep in mind: when you’re deciding who to talk to, put a little effort into it.  Don’t just say “Well Jerry said I need to talk to more people, so I’m just going to stand on the busiest street corner in town and talk to all the people that walk by.”  Do your homework, and spend your time talking to more prospects who actually might have a genuine need for your services.  Don’t waste time with folks who aren’t really prospects, or your ratios will start to get bigger (200 prospecting calls to get 25 apointments, etc.). There’s a lot to be said for targeted prospecting.

Maybe this would be a good time to talk about the elephant in the room: the fact that nobody, even the best of the best salespeople, actually likes to hear “No”.  That’s a valid point, and one that needs to be addressed.  And here’s how I’m going to address it: get over it.  I’m sorry, but you’re a salesperson, not a delicate flower.

If you want a job where nobody ever says “No”, sales ain’t it, kid.  Try government work (I hear the benefits are great!), not sales.  If you want to be a successful salesperson, “No” comes with the territory.  To quote the immortal Strother Martin (in “Cool Hand Luke“), “I don’t like it any more than you men (or women),” but that’s the way it is.  The benefit of talking to more prospects and hearing “No” more often is that you start to develop an immunity; it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad the 999th time you’ve heard it as it did the first.

So get out there today and see how many prospects you can get to say “No”.  If you’re on a team, maybe make a little contest out of it…the one with the most “No”s at the end of the day gets to wear a big N pinned to his or her shirt the next day.  Talk about a conversation starter!  And if you’re the entire sales force, set a goal for yourself and beat it. Keeping track of “No”s is way easier (and more fun) than keeping track of “Yes”s anyway!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned tomorrow for Step 3: Clearly State Your Intention.