1. This topic is for the professional who want to make most of every discussion and every argument.
2. It is important to be able to see the view point of your customer and to be able to align your view to his.
3. Great sales people know how far they can use the viewpoint of the customer, and ensure to agree with him.
4. But inexperienced sales people make the mistake of starting arguments and not working towards agreeing to disagree.
5. Consider a salesperson who gets into an argument with a customer and then focusses on the substance of his argument all the while loosing his customer. The argument becoming more important than the customer.
6. Had you realized the actual uselessness of the argument and focused on what the customer was saying, he would have been able to keep his customer and make the sale.
7. So knowing the arguments is important, however using them sparingly and effectively is the key to a great sales person.

Words of wisdom

Author Quotes:  “Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle.” – George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Author Suggests

• • Battle stations everyone, this position is commonly seen when amateur sales man try and convince the customer of something. They get into a mode of confrontation and not consultation.
  • Remember when you start an argument with a customer you would end up as loosing party in all and any scenario.
  • How does a fight start? Definitely with an argument. Isn’t it a waste of your time to get into one, when you have gone to a customer for selling something.
  • People have a right to have an opinion and it may be contradictory to yours or your companies.
  • Every customer is allowed to have his/her own viewpoint and he may share it with you during a sales meeting.
  • However remembering that conflicting views does not mean negative customer will ensure you do not derail from your efforts.
  • A customer who is aware of what he wants and has view on it is far better than a customer who is unaware of his needs.

Author Quotes

“You can be right and still lose the fight.”  ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Example of the situation

• • Imagine trying to explain a farmer to buy a Mercedes compared to a business man in the city. The businessman may complain about the service provided by mercedes but at least understand the brand and it value.
  • However in the case of the poor farmer he would be satisfied with a smaller Volkswagen which will serve the same purpose as Mercedes at half the price.
  • Explaining to this farmer is tedious task when compared to selling a mercedes to a businessman.

Question Yourself ?

• • So how do you resolve a conflict if one tends to arise in the middle of a fruitful discussion.

Author Suggests

• • Simply agree to disagree, later.
  • Lay your weapons down lower you guard/shield and then when the customer follows your action that is when you attack
  • It is very easy to start and argument, but very patient to see one through without getting worked up about it.
  • An argument is never complete without two parties, the Great salesman will remove himself from the situation and thus end the argument.
  • No good comes from war/argument so even if it means to agree to incorrect point of view, it is a good ploy to agree only to disagree later and clarify.
  • However if one forgets to agree with the customer then the disagreement will ensure no sales happens.

Question Yourself ?

• • What would you prefer no customer or a customer who is willing to talk to you and listen?

Author Suggests

• • Author wishes to inform you that most of the salesman loose the battle in an argument that was irrelevant to the deal. In fact some of the arguments are on stuff like politics, religion etc.
  • Subjects that have no bearing on the outcome of the sale which just came up coincidently.  And the salesman just put his opinion for the sake of argument only.

Author Suggests

• • How does an argument start?
  • With two opposing parties taking up arms against each other. These may be words, letter or emails highlighting the issues.
  • What if one of the parties reply back with an , “I agree”.
  • Do you think that the argument has any space left to go to now?
  • That is exactly what we must do, choke the argument and then take over the discussion to prevail as the final outcome.
  • This is genius and should be attempted by all sales people.

So learn to agree to disagree.