*Addressing the elephant in the room*

A crucial thing to do in sales.

Most salespeople won't deal with the blindingly obvious...

Things like -

Prospects...

- being guarded

- holding back certain information

- acting obtuse or combative

Why?

Fear...

- Fear of upsetting them

- Fear of not being liked

- Fear of creating an awkward atmosphere

These explanations all point to the exact reason you SHOULD confront it.

Otherwise you're giving into your own fear.

Which will ensure circumstances & people will control you, dictating the tone of the meeting.

So turn it around.

Take charge and assert yourself, something along the lines of...

"Mr X, whilst I'm trying to work out the best way to help solve business problem Y, I get the feeling we're on different pages here, would that be a fair assessment?"

Tone is key here - it's not to be rude or aggressive, just honest and direct.

The point is you're driven by trying to help them, and this should come across.

People will respect you a lot more for it.

And because you've asserted yourself by being frank, there's a strong chance their barriers will come down.

At the very least, you'll know where you stand and if it's worth spending any more time on.