Supremely Successful Selling: Discovering the Magic Ingredient

Chapter 21

No Isn't an Answer, It's a Question

I CALL THIS NEXT STEP the “Pleasant and Persistent Pursuit of Getting the Order.” You certainly should be persistent. And when you're selling with integrity, it must be enjoyable—for both you and the buyer.

Expect some objections. They will be your best friends in making the sale.

I'm going to give you some typical objections you may encounter and the sort of response I would give. Let's say you're selling a vacuum cleaner. For our purposes, that will serve as a good example.

I think of vacuum cleaners because since 1924, and to this very day, the Electrolux vacuum cleaner has been sold door-to-door. It is what makes it the largest-selling vacuum cleaner in the country.

Their salesmen have always been very effective. The objections they often receive are generic. They are pretty much what you might hear, no matter what the product. That's why I'm using the vacuum cleaner salesman to illustrate my point.

In this chapter, I'll also give you a formula I often use. It's quite simple: Feel, Felt, Found. I think you'll find it extremely helpful.

Feel indicates clearly that you really have listened to the person's objection. It also says you sympathize with the buyer. You can identify with the concern. You and the buyer are beginning to bond. Felt signals that you empathize with the buyer's situation. Found demonstrates that there is a happy solution.

It really works. Using this formula when you get an objection is like jumping off a cliff ...