"I already have a supplier" How to Answer this common question

How would you proceed with a sale if a client says they already have a provider they are happy with? 

 

This question was posed on my Professional Best Sales Practices Group on LinkedIn, for Professional Sales People to Increase their Closing Ratios using ethical good busiess practices.  Here were some of the responses.  Erin Shaeffer asked the above question. 

Response from Lon Dunn, Sr.: Copywriter, Author, Director of Ops

Follwo My Tweets:  www.twitter.com/ProDevNetworker

 

Actually, the comment is not a turn down. But a statement of fact. "I already have a supplier" should be the response to just about anyone we meet. So I realize and anticipate. I want to know who the supplier is, before I make my presentation. I could call reception and find out, his employee? Take them to lunch, find out. Find out what "Group" the guy belongs to on LinkedIn, and attend a function, and find out. But I better know who that supplier is
before I make my presentation, or I am a novice, and deserve what I get.

Alot of times there are "entrenched" relationships where the supplier is "smothering" the client with trips, discounts, even making him the godparents of his children to keep the client, so negative selling the competition can get you into real hot water quick. That bothers me little, I am not trying to steal away their client, I only want the one shot at it. More Below.

But let's say I don't know. What has worked for me, and what worked for my family long before I ventured into sales was the old "Second Line of Defense" trick.

"So you use Acme. Who is your secondary source? Who do you use when Acme is not available? Oh, you use Titan....Great, I am familiar with both companies, and this is what I am prepared to do. We are going to give you our Volume Discount, as if you were McDonald's or NY Life. We are going to give you pricing BELOW both competitors ONE TIME. This one time offer is simply to PROVE TO YOU, that I am cheaper, more efficient, and better prepared to take you on as client. When I have offered this hypothetical offering in the past, I have successfully turned Acme's and Titans clients into my own PERMANENTLY. Those clients are so pleased with the results they no longer order from anyone but me. But let's not project. Let's just try this ONE TIME.....And if I am not under budget, and under deadline, then you can go right on using Acme and Titan, and I don't deserve you as a long term client anyway. " THEN SHUT UP.

The next person to speak is the buyer. Either you are buying his rejection, or he is buying your product, and YOU.

I successfully did this one time with Delta airlines, put them on hold, told my manager I had Delta on the line, and could I discount our service?( an intangible by the way ) and they approved a purchase order. I My first order with Delta was 200 units. Mouths dropped, eyes popped, and nobody thought I was for real. I was only beginning. Later on, I found out an outside sales rep had worked them, took the decision maker to lunch, and dawdled for two years. I used the same technique over and over on Liquid Carbonics, Genreral Dynamics, GTE Airphone ( I am telling my age here ) The US Army, State of Mass. Most of AT & T's "Top 1,000 Corps in America" I sold to! I even sold computer training to IBM!! By the time I left the company I was responsible for singlehandedly doing 82% of the Corporation''s Revenue, and the other 100 salespeople shared the remaining 18%. Using the Discounting technique right over the competition, and running them out of business unintentionally of course.



There are other techniques I would use in tandem, or a prelude or follow up, but gosh, this laptop? I hate typing on this thing.

But you could try the Pros/Cons method. Have them write out what it is they like most, and what it IS THEY DON'T LIKE, about Acme or Titan, and let them reverse sell themselves, let them tell you the negatives, instead of you trying to do it, which is not recommended.

Use a two time close, take a survey, ask lots of questions, find out all you need to know, and then come back with your presentation. You will be more informed on this second visit and your presentation is not torpedoed. ( Greatest Saleman in the World, Og Mandino )

Good Luck, Great Working with you, Erin. Nice to hear from you again.
( You can see the rest of the responses on LinkedIn )

Lonny Dunn, Sr. Dir of Operations,
Copywriter, Author, Viral Mass Marketing

View My Public Profile on LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lon-dunn/15/454/54a