Ask For What You Want
In our annual Sales Fundamentals Workshop hosted every April in Fort Worth, we dive deep into these three sales principles.
1. Ask for what you want.
2. De-risk new clients with up front payment
3. Don’t accept payment in the form of Exposure Bucks
As a sales professional, you must ask for what you want. As humans our brains are wired to fear rejection. It’s natural. Accept that fact and move past it. It’s also natural to feel uneasy talking about money. From early on in life we are taught that it is uncouth and uncivilized to discuss money matters. Well, discussing money matters, and it’s critical to ask for what you want.
When you AFWYW: Ask For What You Want, there are only four possible answers:
Yes
No
Objection
Stall
The difference between an objection and a stall is that an objection is voiced due to a specific reason that must be uncovered. When an objection is raised, the sales pro must return to questioning and the value proposition. A stall, on the other hand, has no specific reason underpinning it. With a stall, continue selling while ensuring your prospect feels safe and in control. Move too fast and buyers instinctively recoil, even when they want to buy. It’s your responsibility to make the prospect feel safe and in control.
So, ask for what you want. To be candid while taking some of the edge off the situation, I will often say:
“Well, not to play the role of the greedy capitalist here, but I’ve got a team to support, so if we’re ready to discuss money . . . my structure is fee plus expenses with the fee paid up front.”
Is that uncouth?
I don’t think so.
Money talks, right?
So, don’t be afraid to talk about money.
When working with new clients, de-risk the situation with an up front payment. Lastly, under no circumstances do you accept payment in the form of Exposure Bucks. You know what Exposure Bucks are. They are payment not in cash, but in the promise of increased awareness for you because of your relationship with this non-cash payer. As a purchasing manager at Pulte Homes, suppliers and subs would often share with me their motivation for landing our business. Once Pulte was a customer, they could share that with every other builder to build their reputation. It was a form of social proof.
Acknowledging there is potential value in that, promises to pay in the form of Exposure Bucks is BS. You can’t buy groceries with Exposure Bucks. I can’t pay my team with Exposure Bucks. While money is not the only method to determine value, it’s a damn good one. So work tirelessly to develop unique value. Believe in it. Then ask for what you want. De-risk new clients with up front payment. And don’t accept payment in the form of Exposure Bucks.
As always, thank you for reading!
-bh
