Don’t Take It Personally - Just Turn It Over
Everyone, at some point, is going to come in contact with people that do not like them and this is especially true if you are a salesperson. It’s a fact of life that we all must deal with, but that is never an excuse to lose a potential sale or customer. There are four major questions that we will discuss concerning the turnover. This week we will address two of the four questions and next week we will examine the remaining two.
Let’s begin with a question many of you ask, “Why turn over?” The basic rule here is that a turnover should be used any time you, as a salesperson, simply aren’t clicking with your prospect or vice versa. It is unrealistic to believe that you will click with everyone you see on a regular basis, let alone the thousands that may come in to buy from your store. If you understand that, you have all ready realized the importance of the turnover. Some common reasons for a turnover are age, race, gender, physical conditions and bad vibes, which are all self-explanatory. Two other reasons that are a little more complicated are that you are unable to provide technical information needed and you just can’t close this one. If you cannot provide the technical information the customer is asking for, then simply call another salesperson who may have better technical knowledge than you. If you can’t close, this means you have gone as far as you can go in the presentation. You have done every thing right but just can’t close, turn it over.
The second question, “To whom do I turn the sale over to?” The answer is a simple one; turn it over to an “expert.” No matter who you turn the sale over to, you need to give them the appropriate title and credentials. The key is letting your prospect know that they are going to be served by an expert or a specialist. There are a couple of titles you do not want to use when introducing the person you are turning the customer over to. You don’t want to introduce your co-worker as the owner of the business, even if they are, because this may put the owner in a position where they feel obligated to give a discount or some other special considerations. You also should not introduce your colleague as the top salesperson; this may leave the prospect feeling intimidated and renew their fear or objections. The idea of a turnover is to leave your colleague in an advantageous position and the prospect feeling more comfortable. To your customer the turn over process should be smooth and unrecognizable. The way you handle this is very important. Next week we will discuss when to turn over, how to turn over, and the differences between the technical and the formal turnover.
FINAO - Brad Huisken - President, IAS Training
