On February 13thI’ll be hosting a new webinar Sales Tips and Tweaks to Fill Your Pipeline and Wallet. (Sign-up here.) One of the things I’ll be addressing is salesperson FOBTP. The Fear of Being Too Pushy.
FOBTP is a very costly issue. Most salespeople who have FOBTP leave money on the table. Please note I do NOT believe salespeople should be pushy. Advertising icon Leo Burnett once said, “”There’s no such thing as hard sell and soft sell. There’s only smart sell and stupid sell.” Any selling approach that can be perceived by customers as too hard or pushy can turn the customer off resulting in a missed opportunity.
But the fearof being perceived as too pushy can keep us from getting new clients or closing sales. The fear is based on out of date perceptions of what it means to sell. Years ago, salespeople held the power in the salesperson/client relationship, and often abused that relationship. (Think of the old time stereotypical car salesperson.)
In today’s Information Age, clients hold the power. They can see the mortgage rates of all of your competitors. They can technically buy or sell a home without a realtor. (Which is crazy, but that’s a story for another day.)
The primary role of today’s salespeople is to be a trusted resource and help facilitate the buyer/seller/borrower’s decision. Successful salespeople aren’t pushy, but they confidently lead each client to achieve their goals. Not push. Lead.
In next week’s seminar, which is also available for on-site trainings through our Silva Law / QuickSilva Success Academy, we’ll look at some of the ways you can successfully lead prospects into becoming clients and clients into achieving their goals without ever being pushy. As I was reminded in a recent training program I did, the key is that as a salesperson you’re comfortable with your approach. Just be sure FOBTP isn’t getting in the way of your success.
About the author
Silva Law / QuickSilva CEO Doug Fleener is a former organizational consultant and international keynote speaker who for sixteen years helped thousands of individuals and businesses to improve their sales performance and customer experience. Contact us to learn how Doug can present one of the Success Academy programs at your next staff meeting.
