In a perfect world, every prospect would fall in love with you from the very first moment they met you. Their eyes would follow your pitch intently, their heads would nod happily, no objections would be raised, and they would sign on the dotted line without a second thought. The world we live in isn't like that, and closing isn't as easy as it seems.
Especially when dealing with tough prospects who make everything harder than it needs to be, it can feel borderline impossible. You may encounter clients who try to push you around or waffle indefinitely over next steps, causing deals to drag on for weeks on end.
Prospects' attitudes cannot be controlled, but you can take productive steps to increase your chances of closing, even when you're dealing with the worst prospects. Listed below are 7 steps you can take to deal with the potential customers who make you want to scream. Let's check them out.
1. Remain calm and unfazed
In the same way that sharks attack when they detect blood in the water, difficult prospects will do the same. It's important not to appear scared or nervous. The tough prospects will have an even greater chance of pushing you around if you do so.
Keep your composure at all times. If a prospect is rude, aloof, curt with you, or just flat-out disagreeable, resist the urge to speed up a sales meeting or change your approach. A prospect's bad attitude can easily lead you to lose your footing in a sales conversation if you are visibly affected by it.
Stick to your game plan - even if they sabotage it
2. Ensure that real commitment is made by the prospect
Your proposal needs to demonstrate how serious a prospect is about solving the challenges and reaching the objectives they've discussed with you - and sometimes, putting them on the spot is the best way to do that.
However, you shouldn't inquire about their commitment to purchase your product or service. Try asking them, “Are you committed to doing something about this right now? ”
It's important to gauge whether or not your prospects are ready for what you've got to offer by holding their feet to the fire.
3. Encourage prospects to share their challenges with you
People who are difficult to deal with might be thinking about a million different things at once. Consequently, they probably won't listen to you. Consider flipping the script and getting them to talk about their own pain points rather than forcing them to listen to what you want to say.
Using this approach, you can break through the animosity and reach out to their emotional side. If prospects are reluctant to talk about their key challenges, you can also figure out how important solving their problem is to them.
4. Get a sense of what prospects are trying to achieve
As with the previous point, try to get difficult prospects to discuss their immediate goals. You can ask them, “What is your top priority for the next six to twelve months?”
Even the most noncommittal prospects will sense urgency if you align your solution with their objectives.
5. Remain in control of the conversation
Many difficult prospects hijack sales conversations - they pursue irrelevant tangents, steer topics in different directions, speak over you, or take other actions to derail the conversation.
As a salesperson, you always need to maintain control over the conversation — so if things get out of hand, don't hesitate to politely interrupt with something to the effect of, "I would be happy to discuss this point further after the presentation, however I would like to stay on task and respect everyone's time."
As a result, you should be able to wrangle the conversation back to the shared goals you share with your prospect.
6. Do not attempt to prove yourself superior
In a sales conversation, "Did you know...", "Actually," and "No offense" are all used to prove dominance. If you're dealing with difficult prospects, these moves will not serve you well.
When dealing with tough customers, you need to position your authority, but you need to make sure that you don't cross the line between "positioning" and "posturing."
Your goal is to establish yourself as a valuable, consultative resource for your prospects. When you feel you're being undermined, it's always tempting to go there after getting pushed around.
To maintain composure during these interactions, you need to remain calm, share information objectively, and ask for your prospect's input.
Instead of saying, "I heard widget production is expected to triple in the next four years. Will this affect your business? ", try, "I've heard widget production is expected to triple in the next four years. Will this affect your business?"
The first example shows how you're trying to one-up your prospect with industry-specific information that they don't know. In the second example, you presented them with a fact and asked for their opinion.
7. Don't take interactions personally
A tough cookie is just part of the sales game. The behavior of these people will never change, but it's important not to take it too seriously.
Meetings should always be respectful, but if things get out of hand, leave it at the office. It's not a reflection of you, but an indication of the prospect's personal struggles. Head home, enjoy a nice dinner, catch up with friends, and relax before going back to work tomorrow.
It's never fun to deal with tough customers, but they can still be profitable. The more prepared you are, the less likely you are to fold under pressure or take difficult sales situations personally.