Featured Article: How to Break Sales Resistance

Do you know what sales resistance is and how to break it? You may have learned about objections in your sales training and how to overcome them. But resistance and objections are not one in the same and are managed differently. Objections typically come at the end of your sales visit and are presented as common rejections to your presented offer.

What about the wall of resistance that’s presented at the beginning of your sales visit? It can be defined, in sales, as a fear of being sold something you don’t need. A barrier is built by your customer the moment you say hello. Some customers are already thinking, "What is he going to try to sell me? I really don`t want to be bothered", before you even walk through the door.

Techniques to break through the wall of resistance

To avoid buyers remorse from the second homeowner, here’s what the service technician should have done:

1. Redirection. To break this initial sales resistance, Brian Tracy teaches us to redirect the customer right away. Begin your sales visit by shifting the customers focus away from their fear that you're going to sell them something they don’t need. (After all, that’s not your intention. That’s not why you’re there. You’re there to give them a solution to their heating and cooling problems. You’re the good guy.)


2. Focus on the Problem. Concentrate your time and attention on the customer, their problem and situation. Talk with them, build rapport and focus on being an answer to their problems. "Mrs. Smith, you mentioned there is a whistling every time the furnace comes on, I see here the filter isn't in the correct way. I'll adjust it right now for you".


3. Preoccupation Breaking. Your customers are busy doing other things before you meet them. When you do meet them, they still may thinking of everything else besides the purpose of you being there. A strong opening that breaks preoccupation can get you through to your close.

When the glass industry giant, Corning, came out with safety glass - a type of glass that wouldn't shatter and is a standard today in many industries - one Corning glass salesman came up with an innovative way to break through his customers preoccupation and launch him straight into his close. He quickly closed most of the prospects he met. At the national Corning Glass convention he was asked to demonstrate his technique.

He said it was simple.

"First of all, I got some pieces of safety glass cut into 6" X 6" pieces as samples.  Then, I got a ballpeen hammer.  And then I walked in on the prospect and say, 'Would you like to see a piece of glass that doesn't shatter?'  When the prospect says, 'I don't believe it,' I put the glass on the counter and I go whack it  -- watch him protect his eyes -- and afterwards he'd say, 'Holy smoke, that's incredible!' "Then I'd say, 'How much of it would you like?'  And I'd pull out my order pad and start writing the order."

Corning Glass was so impressed with this tactic that they equipped all of their salespeople with ballpeen hammers and sheets of glass, sent them out -- and they all sold truckloads of glass.

What are you doing to break initial sales resistance? You may have to spend some time thinking about a strategy for your industry. In residential sales, probing questions about troubled areas where your company can provide a solution is a terrific strategy. You may not have to be as innovative as Corning, but a little time put into your sales resistance strategy will push you closer to that close.

You can read more about sales motivation in the book, "Selling at the Kitchen Table: A Contractor's Guide to Closing the Deal".

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