I suppose I have a strange view of business…
On one hand, I believe salespeople need to stop– immediately– trying to be buddy-buddy with their future customer.
It undermines their authority and engenders zero respect required to get your future customer to want to follow your process– the necessary process– to consummate the sale and get him what he needs to fix his problem.
On the other hand, I am not recommending at all one to become adversarial or condescending toward one’s customers.
You are not better than them– but they certainly are not better than you.
And while your future is not your friend per se, of course, you should by all means nonetheless be friend-LY.
So you shouldn’t be chummy nor overbearing but you should seek to have empathy.
How to square all this?
“If you are finding it difficult to reevaluate the status of your future customer as your “friend,” think instead of him as the friend for whom you have staged an intervention.
He has a problem.
You can help him.
He has acknowledged this slightly by engaging with you but nowhere near enough to get it over the line as timely as he could.
You need to get him in the car to get to rehab.
BECAUSE he’s your friend.
BECAUSE you care about him.
Get him in the car.
He’s not getting help outside it.”
At risk of oversimplifying, I think this analogy works.
Your future customer isn’t getting helped to talk with you endlessly– meetings about meetings, etc– about the problem he has.
Rather, it is likely metastasizing, growing… leeching him of resources and energy.
Have you no compassion for this person?
Your goal is to give him the stuff and things he needs… not to pitch or do demos.
Get him his stuff and things.
Get him in the car.
It’s the most friendly thing you can do.
If you’re ready, contact us today and find out how we can help.