3 Ways Sales People Can Say “No” to Their Customer
Let’s face it – we are lovers, not fighters.
We sales professionals love to be loved. It’s not that every customer has to become our new BFF, but we still appreciate the relationship sale.
That is what makes saying “no” so uncomfortable.
Top professionals have learned, however, that skirting around an issue for fear of disappointing a customer is a rotten strategy that only leads to future problems.
Here is a common example: the salesperson who knows the answer will be “no”, but instead responds with “Let me ask.”
The strategy behind “Let me ask” is simple: Put the “no” on someone else’s shoulders. Later on that salesperson comes back and says, “If it were up to me, I’d say yes. But my manager is kinda grumpy and she said no.”
Take a moment to think of the various messages that the customer just heard:
My salesperson has no authority.
My salesperson is not good at persuading others to my interests.
The company doesn’t care about me.
Whether I get what I want depends upon the mood of a manager.
That self-protecting behavior on behalf of the salesperson did way more harm than good.
But there is also a psychological angle at play. Many salespeople are so afraid to hear the word “no” that they are afraid to say the word “no.’ There is a deeply held fear that drives the behavior.
Great salespeople are afraid neither to hear nor to say the word “no.” They see it for what it is – a the job and the right thing to do in managing expectations.
They also know three secrets of effectively saying “no” while preserving the relationship.
1. They remain calm, pleasant and confident.
They don’t apologize, they don’t hold their hat in their hands, they don’t look down. Great salespeople are kind but direct. When the customer sees such confidence, it gives them an assurance that this is the final answer. They can live with that.
2. Top salespeople favor “won’t” over “can’t.”
There is a major difference between “We can’t do that” and “We won’t do that.” The former is usually not true, and the customer knows it. When we tell the customer that we won’t do something, we are being more honest.
3. Top professionals explain the downside of saying yes.
The fact is that agreeing to every request will only create problems. Great salespeople have a reason for why they won’t do something, and it makes sense.
For example: “To honor that request would mean rescheduling three different subcontractors, and that will open the door for quality control problems. We simply will not do anything that jeopardizes quality.”
How do you say no?
Practice these steps and grow your confidence when you need it the most.
