The Prospecting Professor: Walls of Resistance

Bill Brooks of The Brooks Group, www.brooksgroup.com, has had a 25-year career in sales. In the July issue of The American Salesman, he identifies the eight basic reasons as to why prospects are resistant to the entreaties of salespersons. You might call them "walls of resistance."

Lack of knowledge of your product or service. Counter the knowledge deficit with education.
Skepticism. Skeptical prospects often betray themselves by their body language, e.g. arms crossed, leaning away, etc. The source of their skepticism must be identified...and addressed.
Need for comparison. Some prospects must compare your wares to the competition as a basis of comparison. When this happens, Brooks advises that the salesperson never "insult the competitor to the prospect." Of course, insults should be verboten, yet aggressive comparisons may be acceptable. See last Friday's post for more on this topic.
Ease of acquisition. How easy/difficult is it to do business with you? Is it a chore or a pleasure. Step away from the situation, and put yourself in the prospect's shoes...and objectively consider this question.
Not having the complete story. Some prospects may not have a full understanding of the benefits and features of what your selling. Solution...ask questions, then educate.
Poor presentation. How effective is your communication and presentation? Even an exemplary product/service will not sell itself...if your presentation is a shambles.
Bad experiences in the past. If the prospect has had a sour experience in the past with a product/service similar to yours, you start in a hole.You must get to the root cause of the bad experience, and compare/contrast to the current situation.
Prejudice. Similar to #7, yet less rooted in the prospect's direct experience. Biases may be driven by something that the prospect has heard from a friend/family member. Similarly the bias may be more personal, i.e. something that you have said/done that stirs up a negative memory.

Walls of resistance can be deal-killers, especially with prospects who are not clients. The key to addressing a wall of resistance is first, identifying what the source of the resistance is...with questions. Often, the identification piece is the part that salespeople miss. Many prospects betray their resistance with easily-identifiable body language, which speaks to the benefit of face-to-face appointments over telephone presentations.

Try as your might, some prospects will NEVER buy anything from you, for whatever reason. In these circumstances, early identification of the source resistance is much more preferable. There is nothing more corrosive for a salesperson than uncovering a hidden objection with a prospect...on the 10th contact with them. When this happens, you want to say, "What WAS I thinking?"