Hey there,
This article distinguishes proactive selling from
reactive selling and illustrates the technique and
benefits associated with proactive selling.
Are you getting “no’s” bleed from customers saying
no too often? Try asking questions that can’t be
answered with a no. Try proactive selling.
Reactive Selling
Much of the time, we adopt a reactive posture with
our customers. We “lob” a statement or benefit
over the fence and wait for the customers to
respond to the statement or benefit. Then we react
to their response. Reactive statements include:
o “I’m calling to see if there’s anything we can
help you out with today.” lob … wait … The
response usually is “No, not today. Thank you.”
Our reaction is “Well, if something comes up….”
o “Last week I sent you our line card and I’m
following up to see if you’ve received it.”
lob…wait… The response usually is “Yep. But I
don’t need anything…” or “I don’t remember.” Our
reaction is, “Well, if something comes up…”
At the very best, many reactive sales calls end
with the rep – not the customer – doing something.
Reactive sales calls result in the rep sending
literature or setting up another phone call.
With reactive sales calls, you give up control of
the conversation and reduce the possibility of
making something happen.
Proactive Selling
Bring the customer into the conversation with an
open-ended but specific question:
o “How familiar are you with our Pro-Act registry
service?”
o “How familiar are you with our Inventory
Elimination service?”
o “How familiar are you with the depth of
inventory we stock?
This question should be targeted towards the
customer needs but can be very effective for
cold-calling as well. You retain control over the
conversation and build the opportunity to qualify
the customer.
In General
Also don’t forget to:
o Begin each call with a specific Initial Value
Statement.
o Confirm that you’re speaking with the
decision-maker. “Are you the one who makes the
decision to buy/sell…”
o Ask if this is a good time to talk for a few
minutes.
o If the customer has done business with your
company, thank them for their business.
And Finally…
Proactive selling won’t work for everyone and
won’t work all the time. But when you’re feeling
like you’re getting “no’s” bleed, try proactive
selling.
To Your Success,
Seyi Eyitayo
C.E.O, (S.E.I COACHING)