CUSTOMER RESISTANCE INDEX I

By Larry Happiday

Whenever the sales presentation is encumbered by sales resistance or sales objection as it is sometimes called, it is expressed in a couple of expressions that can be categorized as follows:

CATEGORIES OF SALES RESISTANCE BEHAVIOUR

• I have a grievance
• Price
• No need
• Fear of commitment

COMMON EXPRESSIONS OF RESISTANCE

• We are fully stocked
• We do not use this type of product
• This price is ridiculous
• No salesman has ever said to me
• You are the cause of problems in this company
• You are a nuisance
• We can a better price for this product
• ABC….XYZ PRODUCT is far better than yours
• Your company is unknown
• ABC Company is better known so you are better selling their product
• We use quality products here so we are not interested
• I’m not interested
• The company policy prevents us from buying from you
• There is no money
• Drop your letter or proposal or brouchure and we’ll get back to you
• We’re already engaged to another supplier

SALES OBJECTION IS NOT SALES REFUSAL

One general principle to understanding resistance is to note that it is not final. Inexperienced salesman find that it customers who “promised” to study your letter turn around days later or weeks later to act dumb and surprised. If you have ever found yourself having to start explain all over how you had come and met with the customer and was told to go and come back some other time, you would understand how unsettling this can be. It will also reveal what such neophyte salesmen consider customer fickleness.

The good news is that such customers have just exhibited customer resistance which is not final and should actually be a cue to ascertain the source of the dissention. Put differently, super sales men know that some of the above resistance behaviours is a signal that the client wants more information.

Only by providing that information would a purchase take place. And the client is not about to let you know how ignorant he may be. So, experienced salesmen have to find it out.