What do you do when a prospect tells you that they are not interested in your product or service? Many salespeople would just say, “Thank you for your time,” and move on to the next prospect. A sales professional, on the other hand, would attempt to get to the bottom of it before deciding whether or not to walk away.
In many cases, you’ll find that there was a misunderstanding. Maybe they think they have to pay for your offering every month instead of just paying a one-time charge. Maybe they’re worried about a compatibility issue with a technology that they already have installed. Whatever the case may be, you really have to ask yourself what they may have misunderstood about the message, the proposed change, the implications… and why they feel that the change doesn't make sense for their organization.
You can even ask them a simple question. For example, “What is it about our value proposition that isn’t resonating with you?” If there’s a misunderstanding at play, the answer they give may surprise you. Maybe they didn’t understand your proposal. Perhaps you didn’t communicate it well in the first place. At this point, you should remedy the situation: “I must be a terrible communicator! I'm so sorry. What I meant to say is…” And then you tell the real story.
I can tell you from experience that it pays to take the time to figure out what is going on in your prospect’s mind. By clarifying a simple misunderstanding, you can quickly turn a “no” into a “yes.”
