SalesPoint: Being tactful under fire

Sales people need to practice a fine balance of offense and defense. The job, obviously, is to sell the products or services developed by your company. You don't get paid unless the company makes money. Sometimes, you can find your product or service pitted against a competitor's-and the prospect likes the competition better than you.

Your basic inclination is to go on the offense, defend the merits of your offerings, and attack the competition by exposing their weaknesses. This may not always be the best strategy. In Dale Carnegie's famous work, "How to Win Friends and Influence People", he advocates avoidance.

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

Instead of focusing on the specifics of the competitor, try instead to find the reasons behind the choice. Asking good probing questions like, "When deciding which DME provider you'll call, what do you look for?" or "What made you choose this specific brand of (fill in the blank)?" In uncovering preferences, experience, or habits you can craft your conversation to highlight the features or benefits of your specific product. Always show respect for the choice or opinion the referral source has-regardless of why. Never say, "You're wrong." Customers will shut down if they feel attacked. Representatives find themselves banned from offices when they become aggressive.

Arguments are more than just a difference in opinion. Civil individuals can discuss differences with calm tones and polite words. Arguments escalate when one or both sides cease to listen to the other person. Exercising good listening skills can help avoid an argument. This means actually hearing what the other person says, reflecting back to show you understood the speaker, and engaging them in the conversation. (Versus just waiting for them to finish their thought so you can launch into yours!)

Last, learn to not take issues personally. All of us have an inherent need to feel liked. If a customer or referral source doesn't like or use what you represent, it doesn't mean they don't like YOU. When you personalize their preferences, you are more likely to feel the need to attack. Attacks lead to arguments and arguments lead to walls being put up. No selling can be done with walls between you and the customer.

Selling takes time; trust comes from a forged relationship. When you work to be civil and avoid arguments, you find that selling is simply an extension of the conversation between you and the referral source.