We are fans of Jeff Thull’s approach to selling as we commented in a post from this past summer. Now Thull has a new article in the latest SMT enewsletter – The Science and Art of Go For The No Selling. I recommend you read the entire article, but here are some excerpts:
Probably the most debilitating myth ever perpetuated on the world of selling is: A good salesperson can sell anything to anybody. But those of us pursuing a complex sale should be taking the opposite approach.
Provocative you say? The reasoning:
Selling has become such a complex process that if you don’t consider “no sale” as a valid outcome and go for the no right away, you could end up wasting valuable time, company resources and delaying access to more lucrative opportunities. Real professionals recognize that a no – after a quality diagnosis, wins the potential customers respect, leaves the door open for future business and frees you up to pursue a better match. You should always ask yourself, Is there someplace better I could be?
And finally, the tease of the article:
Today’s environment – characterized by long sales cycles, multiple layers of decision and influence, and numerous perspectives – has become so complex that the very nature of selling has changed.
You will have to read the article to discover his solution. It is worth your time.