How many "No’s" are you willing to take before giving up on a sale? Before answering, think back to when you were six years old, standing in line with your mother at the grocery store next to the impulse-buying candy counter. The conversation probably went something like this:
"Mom, can I have a candy bar?"
"No, dear."
"Please?"
"No, I said."
You side-step the first two "No’s" and begin pleading.
"C’mon, Mom. I haven’t had one all week."
Frustrated, your mother responds, "I said no! Now don’t ask me again!" Undaunted, you are savvy enough to know that she hasn’t really given you a firm reason for refusing to buy you a candy bar, so you persist a little further.
"Why? Why can’t I have just one candy bar?" She explains, "Because it’s too close to dinner and it will spoil your appetite." Now you have an objection on which to hang a rebuttal. "If I promise not to eat my candy bar until after dinner, will you buy me one?" you ask.
What’s she going to say? You have eliminated her excuse for not buying you that candy bar. "Well, I suppose you can have just one. But I want your promise that you won’t touch it until after you’ve finished eating everything I put on your plate. Do you understand?"
Mom has caved in to your craving. You probably haven’t realized it, but you’ve been selling since you were a child. And, back then, you didn’t quit after only four or five "No’s." When it came to getting that candy bar, you were willing to take the risk to get the reward. As you got older, you asked for the car keys, spending money, and permission to sleep over at a friend’s house, new clothes, toys, and money for camp. The list goes on.
But the bottom line is this: How much money would you be making if your current closing strategy with prospects included the same level of persistence as you gave your poor defenseless mother?
