Prospects are very skilled at getting salespeople to give free presentations, quotes and proposals. If you have been in selling for more than a week, you have probably experienced dishonest prospects over and over again, If, you don’t figure out how to prevent this from happening prospects will continue to make you jump thru hoops like some trained circus animal. The way to avoid this is to employ the sales technique demonstrated in this role play. To do this effectively, you have to have brass balls and be willing to walk away any time you feel like you are getting “rolled”.
This role play assumes that you have had a first appointment and are now back for a second appointment where you are discussing problems you uncovered when you reviewed their current situation with an existing competitor.
Steve: Let me explain to you some problems I’ve found. These are some problems that we’ve found with your experience mod and classification. No wonder some of the things going on and those are the problems we’ve found. I can tell you how to fix them but only if you become my client.
Now, if you want me to fix them, I can. And the only way I can fix them is if you become my client and the way you become my client is you give me an agent of record letter that says you want me to fix these problems that I’ve found.
Kevin: But you’ve got to tell me how much it’s costing me. How do I know that I’ve been overcharged? You’re going to show me on paper?
Steve: I can tell you that you’ve been overcharged about 12,000 dollars a year for the last three years.
Kevin: Can I get any of that back?
Steve: Probably.
Kevin: And where have I been overcharged?
Steve: You’ve been overcharged because you had the wrong experience mod and you’ve been overcharged because you’re in the wrong classification.
Kevin: Show me.
Steve: Show you?
Kevin: Show me where I’ve been overcharged. Then we’ll talk about that letter you told me about.
Steve: I’m not going to show you the solution. I’ll tell you. You are in one classification, you should’ve been in another classification.
Kevin: Which other classification?
Steve: I don’t want to go into that.
Kevin: But you’re not proving to me that I was in the wrong classification unless you go into that.
Steve: And if I sit here and tell you what that classification is, and if I tell you how to solve the problem, here’s my fear. My fear is you’re going to go back and give that information to your existing guy and say “Change my classification.”
Kevin: Well, I want to give him a chance to explain himself.
Steve: I think you should call him in and ask him to explain himself and ask him why you’re in the wrong classification. And ask him to figure out which is the right one you should be in and tell you what the solution is.
Kevin: Okay.
Speaker 2: If he’s so knowledgeable about what he’s doing, why are you in the wrong classification to begin with?
Kevin: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Steve: See, the difference between your guy and me is your guy is a generalist, I’m a specialist. Let me put it nicely. Your guy screwed it up. He screwed it up. (Style switch from Country Doctor to Attila The Hun)
If you want to stay with him, you keep him. I can fix your problem but you’ve got to hire me before I will fix the problem. If you want me to fix the problem, you’ve got to say “I want you to fix the problem.” (this is the close and it is done before the prospect ever sees the proposal)
Kevin: You’ve got to show me exactly where he’s … look, if you show me where he made a mistake and you show me how to fix it, then I will give you my business, I will give you that letter. But you’ve got to show me first.
Steve: Okay, that’s fair. There it is. Right there in black and white.
Kevin: You show me.
Steve: Okay. Here it is. That’s where it’s screwed up, right there. This is the classification you should’ve been in.
Kevin: Okay.
Steve: The mod here at 1.45, it really should be a 1.18.
Kevin: How can I … is there a claim statement?
Steve: There’s a whole bunch of mistakes in here as well. The way we calculated it, you’re 1.18.
Kevin Now what I’m going to do, is I’ll go back and I’ll show it to my agent and say, “Here’s where you messed up and that’s why I’m going to leave you”. Okay.
Steve: What you going to show him? ‘Cause I’m not leaving anything here. I’ll just tell you how to fix the problem. Why don’t you do this. Why don’t you go back to him and say, “I’m at 1.45, I should be at 1.18, why don’t you figure out why,” and see if he can tell you why. (more takeaway – you must be ok with walking away if they don’t want to play by your rules)
Kevin: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Steve: See what he comes up with. If you’re happy, if he gives you the 1.18, stay with him, ’cause he’s doing what he should’ve done in the first place. If he can’t explain it to you, why you are at 1.45? If he can’t tell you how you should get down to 1.18 then you call me back.
Kevin: You’re not going to give that information
Steve: I’m not going to … look, I’m not going to do his job for him. (have guts don’t be a wimp)
Kevin: I love that.
Steve: I’m not going to do his job for him. You’re paying him, you’re paying him 80,000 dollars a year in premium. He’s making 8,000 dollars commission a year off of your account. And you’re not getting 8,000 dollars a year’s worth of service. You’re over-paying by 10,000 a year right now as it is and you have been for the last three years. But I’m not going to give you the solution to the problem to take to him ’cause it … I don’t work for free. Do you? (time to Cowboy or Cowgirl up and quit being so nice)
REMBEMBER PEOPLE DON’T BUY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THEY BUY THE PERSON – YOUR STRENGTH OF CONVICTION ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO IS WHAT THEY ARE BUYING
Kevin: No. And I don’t give the solution out and he’s right, he’s holding onto the solution.
Steve: I’m not going to do that. Now the real issue here is a trust issue. Do you want me to be your go-to guy? (back to the central theme of trust – that IS the sale)
Kevin: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Steve: Yeah and based on how we’ve talked and this is the second time you and I have talked. First time I was in here. Do you trust me or not? That’s the real issue here.
Kevin: I like using that. I like saying trust, do you trust me?
Steve: Do you trust … if you don’t trust me then everything else is irrelevant. If you don’t believe me. Why would I tell you something that’s not true, ’cause you’re going to find out everything anyway.
Kevin: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Steve: And I’m looking for a marriage. I’m not looking for a one night stand. I’m looking for long term relationships with people.
Kevin: What if he says, I’m looking for a one night stand?
Steve: Then you’re probably not our kind of client cause we don’t love em and leave em.
Speaker 4: That’s funny.
To listen to this brass balls sales technique click here.