Trust has been replaced by skepticism and disbelief. We now live in a New Economy where sales people, business owners and corporate leaders are no longer trusted and, in fact, are loathed and despised by the buyer. Even the government – perhaps especially the government – has proven itself spectacularly untrustworthy.
Today we are bombarded daily by media given to sensationalized distrust of banks, insurers and others on Wall Street. So it is perfectly understandable that BUYERS DON’T TRUST YOU. NOT ONE WORD YOU SAY, NOT ANY PROMISE YOU MAKE, NOT ANY ORGANIZATION OR PRODUCT YOU REPRESENT!
The dirty little talk about secret of widespread bank insolvency and stock market meltdown is that over a trillion dollars of private “mom ‘n pop” capital has evaporated from the market place and those that have money are now in mattress-savings mode and other ultra-safe, low yield investments. Bluntly put, you must employ more effective selling skills to lower buyer’s skepticism and resistance and overcome their heightened fear of making a mistake or getting taken advantage of.
Any sales professional seeking to establish new relationships and secure new clients in this environment find themselves severely handicapped by severe and exceptionally firm and stubborn distrust. The “old pros” using selling skills acquired pre-2008 are experiencing increased difficulty securing appointments, longer sales cycles, lower initial transactions, price objections and heightened reluctance by clients to refer their business.
THERE ARE EFFECTIVE NEW SALES TACTICS and strategies, but they are not the same ones that worked nicely pre-2008. But before new strategies can be employed you must understand and realize that the emotional and psychological makeup of buyers has changed, requiring you to start your initial conversation at a different place than you did pre-2008.
Your cheese has been moved, and if you want more cheese you must develop new selling skills and completely change your approach. If you stubbornly or ignorantly cling to your old ways of selling and communicating you risk becoming a dinosaur. Make no mistake – I am not taking about tweaking your approach. I am talking about a complete radical change in thought and behavior.