The Dreaded Third Wheel
There you are in the middle of a sales presentation that any professional salesperson, sales manager, sales trainer and customer would marvel about. Everything is going so right that you just know you are about to make one of the best sales you have ever made. Life couldn't be any better.
The customer is friendly, you had a great non-business conversation about something important to him/her. You have eased the fear the customer had, built a person to person relationship, and established trust in you, your company and your product. You asked questions to find out what the customer wanted, why they wanted it, you've even gotten ideas of several add-ons the customer is probably going to buy. All the while the customer has been very comfortable with you due to your skill in making the situation a conversation rather than interrogation. The demonstration is becoming a thing of beauty as you are establishing value in the product. You completely understand the customer and his/her perception of value. You are giving features, benefits and agreement questions to the customer and he/she is bobbing his/her head up and down in agreement.
You flow like water through a funnel into your assumptive add-on close when suddenly the worst possible thing happens. The person the customer brought with them says "You know John Q. I never buy at the first place I shop, let's look around a little"! What the heck? OOPS, you forgot to involve the third wheel. The person the customer brought with them as their expert, sounding board or protection from pushy, aggressive salespeople.
In sales you have got to involve everyone in the party. I would suggest you give your Feature and Benefit to the customer and the Agreement Question to the third wheel. Get the customer and the third wheel bobbing their heads in agreement and the sale would have been money in the bank. Now you know! Always involve the expert or third wheel.
FINAO -
Brad Huisken is President, IAS Training and has been in sales since 1971. Since that time he has been directly involved in all aspects of Sales and Sales Management. His experience and knowledge have enabled him to author the book I'm a Salesman! Not a Ph.D. In addition he has developed several sales and sales management seminars for his company, IAS Training, and authors a weekly newsletter, "Sales Insight."
