Inside Sales Telesales Tips Blog

Always lead with your highest priced/best offering. And don’t make assumptions.

  

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Sometimes, even good salespeople will make the mistake of believing that the prospect doesn’t have enough money in the budget to purchase the best solution, which is also, most of the time, the highest priced solution. This is usually the result of not asking adequate qualification questions, and instead, making assumptions, something I’m always talking about in our inside sales training courses. 

I was reminded of this yesterday as I drove by a local Mercedes dealership, because it reminded me of what happened when I tried to buy a car there. Although I love wearing suits, I never dress up when I’m out to buy something that’s going to cost real money. After all, I might have to negotiate price, and can’t “cry poor” if I don’t look the part. So I was really dressed down when I went to that Mercedes showroom. And I drove my VW van there, too. Now I really needed an exceptional car for business, and I thought a Mercedes could be a good choice, but wasn’t quite sure. A salesman walked up to me, and my first question was “Tell me why I should buy a Mercedes.” You know what he said? “Go to the library.” He was obviously ticked off that it was his “up,” and a guy wearing jeans and driving a VW bus was his prospect. 

Anyway, I told him “Listen, if I wanted to be in a library, I’d be there.” And he walked away. So I walked out. And the next week, I bought a turbocharged Porsche, with cash, from a guy that was more than willing to let me test drive it. Wore my jeans for the test drive, too. 

So what can we, in inside sales, learn from this? Most of us can’t see our prospects physically, but it’s still really easy to make assumptions about how much our prospects can afford. Especially when prospects are in negotiating mode --- and this can happen even on the first call --- they’re going to cry a bit about money. They don’t want to be overcharged. But you’ve got to do a great job asking questions about their businesses, why they perceive they need a solution like yours, and what the business consequences are if they don’t move forward with the best solution. When you fully understand their business reasons for needing a solution, you’ve absolutely got to recommend the best one you’ve got until you and the prospect agree that a lesser-featured solution would fit the prospect’s needs now and for the future. 

There are many times when a salesperson led with a lower-end solution, then eventually had to field a call from that now-dissatisfied customer who just realized that the higher-end solution would have been better. Except now there’s no budget left. 

So back to my Mercedes salesperson. If he’d spent less time talking about the library and actually asked me why I needed the car, I would have told him that I needed a high-end car to visit my clients. Then we might have discussed my business needs, car-wise. If he had, he would have had the opportunity to tell me about the prestige of the Mercedes brand. And because I really don’t like to shop, I might have driven one home right off the floor, just like I did the following week with the Porsche. 

Savvy salespeople, both inside and in the field, know that the Budget question isn’t as important as the Business question. If the business need is there, and timeframe is critical, budgets can be created. When I was a Purchasing Agent a long time ago, I had the discretionary power to shift budget money when something became critical, and I exercised that power a lot. So do many of your prospects, particularly those holding VP or CXO titles. 

So please, don’t make any assumptions of your prospects, based on anything. Asking about their businesses and how they perceive your product or solution as either making their companies money, or stop them from losing money, is critical. Those are the only reasons most companies buy anything. Don’t short-change yourself or the prospect by leading with solutions that cost less, but don’t offer the value your prospect company needs now, or will need later. When you recommend the right solution, your customers will be better satisfied, and your own company’s reputation will be enhanced. And add understanding your prospect’s business through better questioning to your Best Practices Playbook.