How to influence prospects who think they don’t need you
3-minute read
Imagine you work for a software company that builds mobile food-ordering apps for restaurants.
The industry is filled with competitors and it’s difficult to stand out. Every other app company has so many features and benefits that people are confused about what quality really looks like, and buyers are skeptical of “the next big technology platform sure to bring exponential growth to their business.”
In this scenario, as with many others like it, sellers are pigeonholed by the market’s reputation, leaving their solution in the dark, without the opportunity to be heard by prospects.
So how can you influence prospects if they think they don’t need you?
Selling like it’s 1989
Back in 1989, prospects learned about products in three ways.
- They read direct mail
- They went to trade shows
- They talked to a sales rep
There was still a strong relationship between prospects and salespeople because they needed each other.
But as technology found its way into the selling process, prospects began educating themselves online. They became better at making informed decisions while sellers struggled to become better at selling and remain relevant. The need for a relationship between the sales rep and the buyer diminished.
Fast forward to 2018
In 2018, prospects have too much information, too many options and too many views from competing stakeholders they need to consider.
Today, the top job of a seller is to make buying decisions easier by helping different stakeholders understand their business problems and agree on the right course of action to solve them.
Below are three simple steps to influence prospects and convince them to give you their time.
1. Collect data… But not just any data
Collect the data that matters: customer data.
If we go back to the mobile food-ordering app example, you may choose to measure how long customers wait in line, how long they wait for their food or drink, the number of customers in the restaurant at peak times, etc.
Collecting this data inevitably puts you in the customers' shoes, thus, enabling you to tailor your pitch.
5.4 Average number of stakeholders involved in a purchase decision.
2. Segment your stakeholders
5.4 is average number of stakeholders involved in a purchase decision. Each one will have different needs.
Map out the goals and priorities for each stakeholder that you need to access within an organization in order to close a deal.
3. Craft your pitch…But not just any pitch
The biggest challenge stakeholders face is agreeing on the problem at hand and the proper course of action to solve it.
Your role as a seller is to highlight which aspects of your solution the stakeholders agree on and use it to create consensus. Do this by assessing the goals and priorities you mapped out, then, craft a pitch around the things they all agree on and align it with the problem you solve.
If you work for a software company in the mobile food-ordering app market, your prospects have to choose between several suppliers. Convince them to give you their time by making the buying process easier and tailoring your pitch to their priorities.
Get expert help
Keep in mind, if you’re not delivering the right message to the right people in the right markets, all your prospecting efforts will be for naught.
BDC has sales and marketing solutions to help you align your prospecting efforts and provide the tools to generate additional revenue today. So don’t wait, contact us.