| Has the Fat Lady Sung, Yet? |
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So, there I was.Back at a car dealership on the 27th of July looking for a new car, (again). I usually have the luxury of taking my time when buying a new vehicle. However, the woman barreling down I85 into my Infiniti, didn't think about MY inconvenience as she was text-messaging her boyfriend instead of paying attention to the road. Oh well, fortunately, it was just a car. (Or was it?)
At any rate, the urgent automobile purchase decision was to come quickly because of the insurance company. I didn't have much time to mull over the different choices. Sure, I could have bought another Infiniti, but I can be superstitious and found it a negative omen considering the accident. Plus, I decided to avoid hearing my husband complain about hitting his head every time he drove my car, so decided to go a different route this time. After looking over about a dozen cars on "automobile alley", I finally decided on a cute little Volvo. The salesperson let me take it home. I was having a ball tooling around in it for free, while waiting for my insurance check from the bimbo with her Blackberry. Then, the salesman called me and left a message. "Renee, Hi. This is Ernie. Say, I called to see how you like the Volvo. Oh, yes, and what will it take to get your business since you KNOW it's the end of the month and I'd love to close this deal? " My first reaction was, "So what?" Why should I, the almighty customer, CARE whether Ernie wants to close by the end of the month? Frankly, Ernie didn't think about that. He was just wanting to make his number, or get closer to it, before close of business on the 31st. I refer to Ernie's question as a "freeze question". A question that causes your customer to freeze is one which most likely will not lead to a close (hence the "fat lady singing" title for this article.) IOn my audio CD's, I outline the freeze questions which should NEVER be asked and what alternative questions are more effective. (www.salespeak.com to order cd's, and videos). Another freeze question is: "How much do you want to spend?" So, instead of offering up more freeze questions, here are a few questions you can ask with confidence to avoid your customer turning into an iceberg: "You mentioned that you need to make a decision soon. Tell me about your time frame in more detail." "You've certainly been shopping around. Tell me your impressions of how our service compares to the others you have looked at." "You mentioned in an earlier conversation that our product meets your X needs. Tell me, how would your business be different if you purchased our solution?" "You said you are happy with your current supplier. Tell me, when was the last time your supplier ran out of product? Could you list us as a secondary vendor to fulfill your order when your primary supplier is unable to?" Note that all of the questions begin with "you" not "I" or "we". In fact, that's one reason why the Volvo salesperson failed in his sales skills miserably with me. He had all the "pat" questions and techniques, none of which is particularly effective and more likely offensive. I bought from him despite his inexperience because I was in a huge hurry and liked his car. But if he wants a referral, he won't get one. If he wants repeat business from me, he won't get that either. In short, I bought, but on MY fat lady singing time frame--not his! (c)Renee Walkup, All Rights Reserved, www.salespeak.com, 678 587-9911. |
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