Cutbacks and downsizing mean that salespeople are hearing “no” — or no answer at all — a lot more. That’s when a fear of rejection sets in. Many trainers teach salespeople how to lead prospects, counter objections, and close the sale. But those effective sales conversion techniques are focused on the salesperson, not the prospect. Focusing on your customers is one of the sales techniques that work in today’s economy. Once you shift your focus, you can overcome your fear of rejection and feel at ease, and that’s a powerful — and profitable — place to be. Use these successful sales techniques to keep your focus on the prospect:

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• Shift your internal dialogue. Picking up the phone is not difficult. What often stops salespeople is their internal dialogue: “Why bother? He’s just going to say no.” That’s negative projection, and prospects will pick up on it and respond accordingly. Shift your internal dialogue to create the experience you want. Even if the prospect doesn’t buy, as long as you believe the call will go well and you think well of the other person, you’ll no longer fear prospecting — and that’s the main objective.

• Make selling about your prospects. Many salespeople are confused about how to refocus the interaction. They’ll open a conversation with something like, “I’d like to tell you about a new product that will help you make more money.” That approach may seem to be focused on the prospect, but prospects know it’s a sales pitch — precisely what they don’t want. What do prospects want? To be respected. First, respect their time. Ask, “Do you have a few moments to talk with me?” Always make the initial contact about them.

• Listen to validate. Active listening — one of the sales techniques most salespeople employ — involves reiterating what prospects say, so they feel understood. Great salespeople take it a step further and employ what’s known as “listening validation,” which involves picking up on the feelings behind the prospect’s words and then relaying the emotions back to the speaker.

  Suppose you’ve discussed your new product and the prospect says, “We’re really looking for three things: price — to cut costs by 20 percent; reliability — I want an account rep I trust; and a strong guarantee.” With active listening, you would then say, “So what you’re looking for is to cut your costs by 20 percent, someone you can call five days a week, and a 12-month guarantee. Did I hear you right?”

  But if you were employing listening validation, you’d say, “What I’m sensing from you — and if I’m wrong please correct me — is that a low cost backed with a 12-month guarantee would help you feel that you’re taken care of and that you have a strategist on your side. Am I catching that right?” Listening validation lets your prospects know that you understand their situation, and that builds trust — the foundation of any business relationship.

— Steve McCann, speaker, consultant, and sales trainer (SellBigInstitute.com)

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