I was almost at the end of the keynote I was delivering to an audience of Internet Service Providers in Florida. As I brought the program to its natural conclusion, I let the audience know that I would open the floor to them to answer any questions they may have.
Several hands went up. The third person I called on made a statement, rather than asking a question.
"Keith that sounds too salesy. I could never do that with a prospect." He was referring to the four qualifying questions that I claim are guaranteed to bring in more sales when meeting with any prospect.
(Let me step back here for a moment. Why am I talking sales and prospects? Because often times, recruiting passive candidates is a sales call. So, "bringing in more sales" in a recruiting sense means landing more qualified "prospective" candidates better and faster.)
"Sounds too salesy?" I wanted to confirm I heard him correctly. I responded to this gentleman with a question.
"To whom?" I wondered.
"To me!" the person replied. Those questions that you suggest we ask every prospect sound way too salesy to me. There's no way that would work with my prospects. (Said a different way, "There's no way I could ask those questions. I'm scared!")
"Well, I can certainly appreciate the fact that these questions may sound a bit different or as you say, salesy (especially if you don't ask the prospect any questions, ever). But what about your prospects? How do they sound to them?"
"Huh?"
"When you ask these questions to your prospect, to they tell you that it sounds salesy to them?" I clarified.
"Sure."
"Really? Is that what they told you?"
"Not exactly," the person said and then continued with, "I really don't know. I've never used these questions before."
"Oh, so if you did use these questions, you're assuming that they will come across as salesy or unfavorable to your prospects, is that what you're saying?"
"Yes."
I thanked this person for their comments and then asked the entire audience how many people felt similar. That is, if they actually asked the questions (which they never did) they feel that it wouldn't be something that worked for them. A majority of hands went up.
I then asked a question to the audience. "How many people have heard of the Sahara Desert?" Most of the hands in the audience went up. I then asked, "How many people here have actually had the first hand experience of visiting the Sahara Desert and experiencing it for themselves?" No hands went up.
"So, then, how do you know it even exists?"
I then continued, "If you've never experienced it then how do you know it's real? Just like the questions I suggest you start using that will make your sales efforts pay off more than ever. If you've never used these questions, then you really have no idea whether or not they will work or how they will be received by your prospects."
I was building my case. I then said, "Do not sell the way you buy."
Undercutting basic principles
Now, you may feel at this point that I'm contradicting some universal selling principles. After all, conventional sales wisdom handed down through the ages suggests how important it is to empathize and sympathize with your prospects and clients.
However, there's a very fine line between understanding and respecting someone's decision making process; and assuming that everyone makes a decision in the same manner and using the same criteria that you do. Moreover, there is also the faulty assumption that your prospects respond in a similar fashion to the type of approach and the type of recruiter that you respond to.
I then shared a personal example of the dangers of selling like you buy. "Folks, if I sold in the same manner in which I make a purchase and then in turn, transfer those values and beliefs to each prospect that I speak with, then I could tell you with great certainty that I would not be up here talking with you today."
Reason being, when I make any sort of substantial decision, I take the time to research my options and learn about the different options that may be available to me. By the time I'm ready to actually make my decision, I will know more about the company, the position, the competition and the marketplace than the person who is attempting to "sell me" on the position.
More objections, less sales
My point is, if I started selling the position the same way I would make the decision as a candidate, I am now putting my values, thought process and beliefs on my prospect, and I am assuming they make decisions in the a similar fashion. The result? More objections, less sales.
Besides, what if I am talking with an impulsive or assertive prospect who is ready to make a change? I would be talking myself right out of landing the candidate in the position!
Lets defuse a costly myth. The old adage of putting yourself in their shoes is really a costly assumption that destroys many a selling opportunity. Why? Because when you "look through their eyes" or attempt to see things how you assume they see them, it is still really what you see, not what they see.
The result? You develop a sales process based on how you think they buy rather than how they actually make a decision. Why? Because how you think they buy is really how you buy. (Is your brain twisted enough yet?)
Asking better questions
If you truly want to wear their shoes, then you need to know how they think and what is important to them. Therefore, the only way to uncover how the prospect likes to process information, make a decision and the criteria they use to do so is by asking better questions.
The lesson: Don't believe everything you sell, I mean, tell yourself.
Recruiters who recruit in the same manner in which they make their own career decisions are sure to have a lower number of satisfied candidates and internal clients. Take a look at some different scenarios where utilizing your own beliefs, assumptions and value system can have a detrimental effect on your performance.
Since Carol usually shops around before choosing which company to buy from or which product to buy, she accepted the prospect's reason for doing the same. Like herself, she couldn't expect people to make a decision during the initial consultation.
When Mike makes a purchasing decision, he usually purchases the least expensive item available. He thinks you can get the same top value at a lowest price. Although he represents one of the highest quality products in his industry, the amount of money he sold for was always at the lowest profit margin. Mike had a hard time asking for more money, even though he was offering the consumer the highest in value.
Robert hated hearing sales presentations. When he went out on his appointments, he was always done within thirty minutes. In order to effectively cover all of the necessary information and provide the right solutions for the prospect, the average time a representative should invest during an appointment was between two to three hours.
Dana was very indecisive when it came to making a purchasing decision. Because this was inherent in her personality, she offered her customers many different alternatives. The end result was confusion on the consumer's end, on Dana's end and no work order.
There are salespeople out there who are even more indecisive than their prospects. Can you see it? "I'll ask for the order now. No, I'll wait a little longer. No, I might miss the opportunity to do so later, so I better do it now." This can clearly put a damper on your performance as well as your mental health.
There was never a "right time" for Bob to purchase a new car. When a prospect explains to Bob that they have other commitments, he totally understood and told them that he would call them back when the time was right.
Rhonda always bought from salespeople that were overzealous and aggressive. She tried to emulate that same disposition on every sales call she went out on.
While one prospect might weigh company stability and the quality or value of the product as the most important aspect in making their decision, another prospect might weigh compensation as the most important.
Learn to adapt your presentation around the values of each specific prospect. In the end, people make decisions based on their style of living, not yours.
Article by, Keith Rosen and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
