by Andrew Gazdecki

Sounds like a funny thing for a sales rep to say that they want to get more people to say “NO”, but hang with me. I’ve been selling mobile apps for almost three years. Along the way, I’ve learned that the most challenging thing for a sales rep to do in this business is to get a potential customer to say NO!

Why you ask?  FEAR & LACK OF UNDERSTANDING!

Everyone wants to make 2 or 3 sales out of 10 or 15 opportunities, but most people don’t want to have 8 to 12 people telling them NO along the way! Most sales reps are afraid to hear “no” because they either don’t ask the customer to buy or don’t want to apply any pressure to get an answer because they’re afraid of being an over-bearing, high pressure rep that rubs people the wrong way.

Most sales life cycles involve the same steps: warm-up with prospect, show pitch book, show demo.  At this point, everything is going great and everyone is happy, why rock the boat by asking for the sale and potentially having the good times with the sales visit come to an end? Then the customer says, “I want to think about it” and the rep thanks them and says they’ll be back at a later date to finalize the sale. More than likely, they’ll never see or speak to the business prospect again.  We’ve all been there. We know what it’s like to be on both sides of that scenario.

Everyone knows sales is a numbers game but very few people actually consider what that means. In order to become a top sales rep, you need to have a process for success.

What is that process???

1. Schedule 15 sales appointments to get 10 sales opportunities.  Why?  Some of your appointments will need to reschedule or you will need to get multiple owners together and that can take time.
2. Make and show a custom Demo App branded to your prospects business
3. Have a compelling sales story that answers the following question: “Why buy the mobile app today instead of tomorrow, next week, next month or next year?
4. Present your price to the customer and ask them to buy.  If they do you are on your way but if they don’t buy right away…proceed to number 5.
5. If they didn’t buy, find out why.  There are four reasons why a customer does not buy…

1. The Company – Did my company do something to offend you?
2. The Product – Can you see how a Mobile App can help you grow your business?
3. Me – Did I do something to offend you?
4. The Money –  Is that the problem?  Is that why you are not saying YES?  I mean if it was FREE, would I be driving down the road with a signed contract?

If they say yes at this point, I HAVE GOT EM!  If they say that money is the ONLY reason they are not buying, I’m psyched because that is something that I can do something about!

Getting a “no” at least gives you a concrete answer – and that’s what you’re looking for more than anything. The sales will come, but what’s important here is making sure you’re pushing enough so that you don’t waste your time. Don’t get stuck in an endless loop of maybe’s!!