Slinging Mud: Are You Muddying The Water?
Are you muddying the water in sales? Many salespeople are. Here is what Nikki Rausch, your sales maven has to say about it.
Imagine you’re thirsty.
All you can think about is a nice refreshing glass of water. You’re craving it; you know how good it’s going taste when you get your first sip. Now imagine someone comes along and just before you pick it up to take a drink, they toss in a small clump of dirt. Are you annoyed? Irritated? Ready to give them the what for? Why are they muddying the water?
I share the example of the glass of water because this is happening to clients when they call to book appointments for a service.
The “salesperson” muddies the water.
You may have experienced this yourself a time or two; you call to book an appointment for a service, and the person tells you all the times they’re not available.
Mock Example:
Me: Hi Sarah, I would like to schedule a time to work with you.
Sarah: Hi Nikki. Let me check my schedule. Hmm, ok, I see that I’m totally booked this week, I'm on vacation a few days next week because the kids are out on spring break and I don’t have a sitter. I'm totally booked next Thursday. The soonest I could see you is next Friday. What time would you like to come in?
Me: I’m available at 10 a.m.
Sarah: Oh, I have a client at 10 a.m. Could you come in at 1 p.m.?
Me: I guess that works for me. See you at 1 p.m. next Friday.
Given this example, how important do you think I feel to Sarah as a client? Also, how much mud did she sling into the conversation?
The “mud” is all the unnecessary information that wasn’t relevant to my initial request. Stop muddying the water.
What I would’ve preferred and my Savvy Sales Tip for this week is: Tell Clients What You Can Do
Mock Example 2:
Me: Hi Sarah, I would like to schedule a time to work with you.
Sarah: Hi Nikki. I would love to work with you. Looking at my schedule, I'm available next Friday at 1 p.m. Does that work for you?
Me: Yes, 1 p.m. next Friday works great. See you then.
How easy was that? Sarah kept it simple and yet still built rapport through the conversation.
Too many people spend too much time telling people what they can’t do, and it’s like throwing small clumps of dirt into a refreshing, clean glass of water.
Keep your language clean, clear, and make it easy for your clients to get scheduled to work with you. This will keep them coming back time and again.
Please comment, share, and post questions. I’m easy to reach and happy to hear from you.
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To download free Resources from Nikki: www.yoursalesmaven.com/maven
