Sales are less about mastering closing tactics and more about providing so much perceived value that the customer asks for the sale. It is the difference between a push and a pull energy.
Most sales programs teach you how to close and ask for the sale. But what if we flipped the sales process on its head and the customer closed the sale?
Your goal should be to create so much perceived value in the prospect’s mind that it creates a kind of gravity and the customer takes the initiative to close the sale themselves.
99% of sales programs are designed to help you figure out manipulative ways of closing the sale, asking for the sale, or knowing the best time to close. But you should ask yourself- is it more powerful for you to ask for the sale or for the customer to want to buy? Here’s an even bigger question- are you willing to stop pitching and competing on price and start beating your customer over the head with your value stick to make them beg for the sale?
Your goal at the end of your sales conversation should be to provide your prospect with so much perceived value that they say “Ok, what is the next step?” or “How do we get started?”
What exactly is value in the eyes of the customer? Value is a combination of what you offer plus what you perceive as favorable for the prospective customer, combined with what the prospective customer actually perceives as favorable for them. Sometimes those two can be very different perceptions.
According to sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, there are eleven key areas where value can be perceived by a customer.
Ease of doing business with you or your company.
Ease of contact with you or your company.
Ease of use of your product or service after they make the purchase.
Increase in productivity for the customer.
Availability of service when the customer needs it.
A boost in customer morale after product or service is installed.
Reasonably affordable and market price alignment– not necessarily the cheapest, but rather the best value.
Additional profit of the customer- how does the customer monetarily benefit from the overall use of your product or service?
Assurance and the perception by the customer that you are a perfect fit for their needs.
Assurance that there’s no risk in doing business with you or buying from you – AKA complete peace of mind and the reduction or total elimination of their perceived risk and doing business with you.
Continued value messages to assist the customer after their purchase has been made.
All prospective customers want to know the same three things.
What’s in it for me?
How do I profit from the purchase?
How much does it cost?
When these questions are answered as part of your sales presentation and resonate with the prospect, you will win the sale. If they need what you sell, want it now, and feel that you are a good fit, then they will compare the perceived value with your price.
People buy what they perceive is best for themselves. To make a buying decision, the prospect will look at the value and the quality of the product or service and ask themselves the following questions:
How does it suit me?
How does it make me feel?
How comfortable am I with the salesperson?
And then if all that makes sense, they will justify their decision and ask is it worth the price or not?
Buying decisions are made emotionally and then justified with logic.
Sales have less to do with how good your collateral material or sales pitch is, and more to do with the customer’s perceived value of your product or service and how things will be after they make the purchase.. Remember, if you get a price objection during a sales discussion, it is just a customer telling you that the perceived value is lacking in their mind.
Are you drowning your prospects in perceived value so they close the sale or are you still wondering when you should ask for the sale?
