Have you ever tried creating rapport or building a bond of friendship, or selling to someone who is blind and at the same time deaf? You will agree it's going to be an uphill task, something that requires extraordinary measures to pull off. There is a 99.9% chance that no success would come off such a venture.
Let's shift focus to your business — pitching customers to make a sale, creating leads, and building customer relations.
When it comes to creating leads and making direct sales, here is an important question you should probably answer as a business owner. Are my customers blind and deaf to my product or services? Don't go off saying, "what does this mean, my prospects are blind and deaf?" No! I don't mean someone who is visually and auditorily impaired. Here is what I refer to by "blind and deaf", "Someone who had no interest in the past or has an interest in the present for your products or services." Chances are high that it's going to be the same in the future — he still remains disinterested.
When people reject your sales pitch or business advance, it could mean several things. Here are some key things to note;
- They are the wrong audience for your product or service.
- They are not in a financial position to make a purchase at that point.
- You sound too salesy.
- They don't see the need or urgency to buy.
- They don't trust you or your product.
- They are not satisfied with the details of the product and offering.
While there are many more reasons in addition to why people don't buy from you, the focus here is the first point, "They are the wrong audience for your product or service."
When an audience is wrong for your product or service, there is hardly anything reasonable you can say or do to convince him of the value of your product or service for their use. They have no interest whatsoever in the past or today in your product. It's very likely they retain this feeling in the future.
So why do you keep pitching people who are not likely to purchase your product or service now or in the future? Imagine wasting your time, effort, and resources in the pursuit of something that is bound to fail. Wouldn't it be more exciting going out to have fun with your friends or family than keep hitting a brick wall when selling?
How to overcome the wrong audience obstacle
Overcoming rejection from selling to the wrong audience requires that you shift focus. You need to shift focus to those who would have a need and an interest in getting the value you bring to the marketplace. What you need to do is to create an identity of what your ideal customer looks like. Your ideal customer is one who is receptive to your business. Creating a profile will help you easily spot and target him when you try to pitch prospects offline or online.
Here is a simple way to create the profile of your ideal prospect:
- What is the status of your ideal customer
Identify your customers' identity, gender, interests, occupation, marital status, age. If it's a business, outline what kind and size the business you are to pitch looks like. Doing this helps create the perfect picture of who you should sell to.
- Your ideal customer's buying pattern
When looking to define an ideal customer for your business, find out what buying for him is like. Make a list of how his buying journey looks like. This list should include why he buys, how he buys, and when he buys. When you are able to determine why, how, and when he buys, you have been gifted a chance to know and fit into his buying plans.
- What are his problems
Everyone has one problem or the other which he actively or unknowingly looks for solutions. It could be that she has problems getting acne scars off her face, needs to diet, needs some quick to make a recipe because of her work engagements. People pass through these and many more problems in various phases. Identify what problem your ideal customer has and how your product can help solve that problem.
Try out these tips and see an improvement when pitching prospects. I hope you got some value reading this. I would love to know what you think about this. Feel free to air your views in the comment section.