How To Ethically Sell To Your Prospect, Even If They Say No.

How To Ethically Sell To Your Prospect, Even If They Say No.
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(c) 2004 Charles Kangethe

What you are about to read... is a closing technique I
learnt many years ago whilst working as a sales rep.

Too many marketers let go on the first no.

If you really believe in the value and benefit of your
product or service to your prospect, then you need to learn
about "Pre-emptive Marketing."

Tip #1 - Learn To Differentiate Prospects
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There are three groups of prospect

1) Those to whom you will never sell because they have no
need for your product or service. - Vast majority

2) Those to whom you might sell, if only you can overcome
initial objections. - Majority of the rest.

3) Those to whom you sell automatically, because of your
reputation and the quality of your products and services.
Very small minority.

Your marketing should focus on the second group. There is
nothing you can do about the first and the third largely
take care of themselves.

Once you understand this you will be less fearful of
alienating prospects which is the reason most marketers give
up on a sale too soon.

Tip #2 - Why Do Prospects Not Buy From You ?
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There are four broad reasons why prospects will not buy from
you.

* Money - The product is priced too high, or too low either
in absolute terms or in comparison to the competition.

* Functionality - The product has too much functionality or
too little. In the first case it is too complex or
complicated to operate in the second it provides little
benefit to the prospect.

* Timing - Your prospect has just bought a competitors
product, or they are just window shopping in anticipation of
a future purchase.

* Competition - Your competition has a powerful brand
presence in the market place that makes it difficult for you
to compete.

Tip #3 - What Is Pre-Emptive Marketing ?
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In order to apply Pre-emptive Marketing Tactics go through
these stages.

Phase 1 - Understand your prospect in detail. What motivates
them ? What are their problems and issues ? What solutions
are they looking for ? What value do they place on the
solution ?

Phase 2 - Brainstorm ALL of your prospect's possible
purchasing objections. Use the objection groups in step #2
to help you.

Phase 3 - For each objection, decide on credible and
persuasive responses.

Phase 4 - Using pop-up technology and / or autoresponders
deliver the responses to prospects who did not click on "Buy
Now" after reading your copy.

Tip #4 - Examples Of Credible Responses
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Here are some example Credible Responses to Frequent
Purchasing Objections

* Too Expensive

- Ask your prospect to make you an offer - If your product has
sunk costs that you have covered, then any offer is probably
acceptable. If you still need to cover the production costs,
give the prospect a floor price you are willing to accept
and ask them to bid, above the floor.

* Too Cheap

- Tell your prospect they can have the product at a discount
to the already cheap price ! If they like the product then
they can send another payment for what they think the
product is really worth.

* Product Too Complicated

- Offer a discount on standard price and offer to train the
prospect for F'ree in how to use the added functionality.

- When you design your products, do so in a modular fashion so
functionality can be added or removed to the core product.

* Product Too Simple

- Offer a discount with a guarantee of F'ree upgrades when the
functionality is added.

- Ask your prospect to make you a reduced offer based on their
evaluation of the functionality.

* Prospect Was Window Shopping

- Offer your prospect a discount for buying before a date you
set in the future. Make sure the discounts are removed when
that date is reached, else the tactic loses credibility.

* Prospect Bought A Similar Product From Elsewhere

- Offer your prospect a discounted price and an extended
returns period during which they can compare your product
against the previously purchased one.

* Competitor Brand Is Dominant

- Do a "warts and all" comparison of your product against the
market leader. Line them up and let your prospect make the
buying decision based on information rather than "brand
awareness"

- Brand your own product, service and business with your USP.

Tip #5 - Practical Pre-emptive Marketing
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Armed with your list of objections and a response for each,
create your sales pages and apply an exit popup to
everything except the "Buy Now" or "Opt-In" buttons.

You also need to set up an autoresponder with the responses
to the objections as the topics for your mails.

The use of exit pop-ups and autoresponders in this way is
nothing new. However, what is different in this tactic is
the detail of objections to which you respond.

You must have answers to the entire range of objections your
prospect may have to make this work.

The way you present the information on your "Pre-emptive
Responses" Pop-up and autoresponder is also critical to the
success of this tactic.

The objection must be headlined in an attention grabbing
way, so that if that objection applies to your prospect they
will be drawn into your response.

Relevant Resources
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Quick Tactics To Brand Your Business
http://www.simplyeasier.com/ownarticles.html

Article by Bob Leduc
Neutralize Unspoken Objections To Increase Sales
available from http://www.sbishere.com/article.html/598

When Objections Get In The Way
http://common.ppmg.net/NEWS-ltc/02-1108.htm

The Psychology Of Closing
http://common.ppmg.net/NEWS-ltc/02-1101.htm

Conclusion
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Make it a business philosophy of yours not to let the sale
go on the first no !

Use Pre-emptive Marketing tactics to persuade warm prospects
that they can and should make the purchase despite their
initial objections.

These tactics will not appeal to people who would never have
bought from you, but a few of those who read your copy and
are still undecided may convert - much to their own and your
benefit.