Is The Juice Worth The Squeeze?
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December 29, 2011

In sales, we are always running into obstacles that stem from the roadblock of contractual obligations.  We’ve all had the account that was more than ready to do business, only to be lost to the fear and uncertainty about their current obligations to another company.  In many of these cases, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze for the customer, and there wasn’t enough expressed pain to overcome the energy required to switch companies. How do we overcome this objection and keep the customer in our corner?  Two options: We either need to create more expressed pain or alter the customer’s perception of change.

Creating More Expressed Pain

Although we can easily assume the pain a customer is feeling, unless the customer expresses their frustrations, desired results, and impact on their business, our solutions may not provide them with any value.  Expressed needs derive from asking the right questions.  This means asking strong, open-ended questions that help lead customers right down the path we want.   Each customer is different, so our questions need to start broad and then become more specific as we uncover information.  Ultimately, each broad topic should isolate down to specific expressed needs.

Altering the Perception of Change

Before we even call on a customer, they already have a perception on the energy and effort it would take to change suppliers.  If we’ve exhausted the expressed pain tactic above and still can’t get over a contractual objection, then we must try to change the customer’s perception of change.  Using third party references and designing a changeover strategy are a few ideas for swaying customers.  The goal of this tactic is to reduce the perceived hassle of change below the pain threshold.  This gives us the best opportunity to move forward with a win.

Whether it’s in sales or everyday life, we naturally weigh our options before making a decision.   As sellers, we need to ensure that when the customer weighs the decision in their mind, they are always leaning in our favor.  Make doing business with you and your company worth the squeeze.

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