Building bridges instead of walls will make you a better salesman

Successful sellers work on relationships instead of alienating their buyers. PHOTO | FILE 

By JOHN KAGECHE

In Summary

• In selling, you want to build bridges, not walls.

In the process of selling, sometimes we build walls instead of bridges. This could be because we are human, inexperienced or because we are indifferent.

This article is not for the indifferent; depleting sales will bring them back to it. In selling, you want to build bridges, not walls. Consider these three scenarios.

Getting unreasonably defensive

“The chips were hard,” I inform the seller just as he clears the table.

“No,” the seller immediately and defensively responds, “They were not.” A wall comes up.

As the buyer, I’m irritated. Is he implying I can’t tell the difference between soft and hard? With the wall up, meaningful progress is limited.

Becoming unreasonably defensive impedes the sale. Compare this to, “Arrgh! I asked for a cold beer!” The waiter who is holding the warm just opened beer pauses and says, “I’m sorry. Please let me bring you another one while this one chills in the freezer. I’ll bring it in the next round.”

Just like that, she’s built a bridge. She acknowledged your complaint and offered an instant solution. Of course, the waiter who places the beer before you and asks “Baridi?” for you to confirm before opening it is much better at avoiding the wall.

Asking for the appointment

The seller’s email asks, “When can I come and see you?” And the buyer says, “Come tomorrow at 10am,” only for the seller to respond, “I can’t. I have another appointment at 10am tomorrow.”

Now why did he keep the date open, only to shoot me down, the buyer silently curses. A wall goes up. You set yourself up for this.

Compare this to, “May I meet you at 10am tomorrow or is Thursday same time better?”

Nine out of 10 times, the buyer will pick one. You created a bridge – you gave an option. And if he doesn’t pick one, he’ll come back with an alternative.

“I’m away the whole of this week; could we make it Tuesday next week at 10am?”

Even if you can’t, the bridge to counter with alternative timings still exists. Instead of a hanging, “I can’t make it then,” you add, “How’s Tuesday midday or would Wednesday 10am be better?
 Giving in to fear

Why do sellers insist on giving a response to a question they don’t know the answer to? Is it the fear of losing the sale or the fear of looking foolish?

Either way, it’s the thickest bunker sized wall the seller can create. For instance, “When will the elevator be here?” the buyer asks.

“In six weeks,” the seller answers. “ What? Your competition has a lead time of three weeks. Make yours shorter; I can’t wait that long.”

“It’s ok, sir,” the seller acquiesces. “We’ll bring it in three weeks.”

It’ a lie; you know it. It takes a minimum of six weeks to ship it in, even if you were piloting the ship yourself. Now you have put yourself under undue pressure to do it in half the time. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. The three weeks are over. No lift. Only lame excuses punctuated with ers, ums and you sees.

The fuming buyer won’t have any of it. If only you had explained that six weeks is the minimum time feasible by any shipping line, and that alternatives being by air, will mean his budget shooting through the roof; how much more of a bridge than a wall would you have created?

To succeed in selling strive to build bridges not walls.

Mr Kageche is lead facilitator, Lend Me Your Ears, a sales training and development firm. Email:lendmeyourears@consultant.com