“8 in 9 of us “are engaged in what I call ‘non-sales selling.’ We’re persuading, convincing, and influencing others to give up something they’ve got in exchange for what we’ve got.”
This weekend I found myself in a “non-sales selling” situation several times. I was down at Start Up Weekend Education in Pittsburgh. I was on a team with several other students from Grove City and we were all driven to win the competition. We received some advice from one of the organizers that we needed to have significant customer validation for our product.
Yesterday my job was to go out into the streets by Frick Park to tell people about our product. My goal was get them to sign a document stating that they were interested in the product and would pay money for it if it came out. I walked around for about 2 hours with this purpose.
Most everyone who I talked to were very interested in our product, however, some needed more convincing. One gentleman that I spoke to said that he would not sign my paper and expressed his concerns with the product. However, I was prepared to rebuttal and I addressed the concerns that he had. He told me that I had a very good response and he signed my document.
There were two key things that I took away from that experience, 1) don’t give up as soon as someone rejects you and 2) be prepared. While it is important to focus on the initial pitch, it is just as important to be prepared to answer tough questions.
Wow Pete that seems like quite the experience! I wish I would have taken the opportunity to go to Start Up Weekend Education in Pittsburgh. If only I organized my time better. Oh well, such as life. Anyways, Pete I think there a couple things we can all learn from your scenario. The one thing that I gathered was you have to have perseverance when it comes to sales. Not only in your situation with having a rebuttal for that guy but to have perseverance after a sale. Most people believe that after you make a sale your job is done. As a salesperson, it is important to be intentional and follow-up to see if the product is performing like it should. The other thing I gathered is that you need to be passionate and believe in what you are saying! As I talked to you about your experience, you told me how you really liked the idea and thought it was a great idea. That allowed you to walk the streets with a purpose because you believed in that product idea.
No is something no salesman likes to hear. You did a great job recovering and helping this gentlemen see where his concern wasn’t actually an issue. Perseverance and knowing how to answer peoples concerns is key to making a sale! I am sad I didn’t get to go to this weekend, but it looks like you all took advantage of a great opportunity and learned a lot about sales.