Chasing Buyer “No” Replies

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Everyone hates to be rejected, but not many people have this as a fundamental aspect of their work.  We ask colleagues for help and they assist, we ask our bosses for advice and they provide it.  Buyers though are a different case.  They can easily find a million reasons not to buy and unashamedly tell us “no”.  The rejection itself is not so much the problem, as is how we respond, how we deal with the rejection.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">In Japan, the two areas our clients flag with us for special attention in sales training for their team are around understanding the client’s needs and asking for the order or closing, as it is commonly referred to in sales parlance.                                                    </span> <span lang="EN-US" xml:lang= "EN-US"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">The poor questioning skills are a result of salespeople wanting to tell the buyer a lot of stuff about the features, but not bothering to ask some well designed questions to uncover what their clients need.  This in itself will explain a lot about why buyers say “no”.  If we don’t properly understand what they need, then how do we suggest solutions that make sense and motivate the buyer to action? </span> <span lang="EN-US" xml:lang= "EN-US"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">The two problems are closely linked.  Even assuming that the questions are well thought through and that the solution selected is professionally conveyed to the buyer, they may still say no.  This is because the buyer’s hesitations have not been properly addressed.  There was something unclear or unsatisfactory in what they just heard from the salesperson and they are not convinced this is the right solution to their problem. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">This is why a “no” will certainly be forthcoming, especially from Japanese buyers.  Risk av