Deal with any situation

You've prepared yourself for this important sales meeting...

You've got all your questions mapped out...done your homework.

You're halfway through the meeting...

But things have come to a grinding halt.

That CEO you're supposed to be helping solve a potential problem is giving you one word answers.

He seems uninterested...indifferent.

All your great questions are just not landing...the plan has gone out the window.

Like a boxer in the ring, all the preparation in the world is useless when you get punched in the face...and have no clue how to bounce back.

You just can't get the conversation flowing.

Why is he so closed off...so rude...

But you soldier on regardless.

You're a sales guy and he's the head of a company.

Why should he speak to you as an equal?

You're lucky to even have this meeting.

So be thankful & focus on giving as much value as possible. 

Maybe that'll endear you to him.

Get him to like you. 

🛑 STOP 🛑

What are you thinking?

You may not be as senior as him or drive an Aston Martin.

But you're most likely better informed than him on this particular subject...your area of expertise.

So during this meeting, you're equals. 

With this in mind, how would someone of an equal stature respond?

They'd call the elephant in the room. 

But they'd do so eloquently...

"John, would you mind if I speak frankly for a moment?"

"Sure." (he says, all of a sudden sounding more engaged)

"I might be off the mark here...but it just feels like this meeting isn't moving in the right direction for you? Have I missed something?" 

And then be silent.

This will usually have the effect of gaining their attention, almost like a pattern interrupt.

Stopping them in their tracks of indifference, to get somewhere closer to the truth.

And they will become instantly more present. 

Almost every single time.

You'll earn respect for calling it out in an eloquent way, demonstrating courage, assertiveness & honesty.

And as a result they should tell you something closer to the truth. 

- Maybe your questions weren't as valuable as you thought (but now at least you know). 

"I just don't know where this is going."

- Perhaps they were having a bad day & you got the brunt end of it. 

"Sorry I've just had one of those days, multiple fires to put out."

- It could be you haven't made them feel comfortable enough to open up.

The fact you've been so upfront will, in itself, make them feel more comfortable

Either way you should get some form of feedback so you know where you've gone wrong. 

The salesperson who just soldiers on has wimped out. 

They've accepted their lot in life (in their mind anyway) as just another salesperson & to be treated as such.

Always stand your ground, have self-respect and call things out when need be. 

Never accept treatment as a subservient salesperson, regardless of who you're meeting.

Deal with any situation eloquently.

You'll thank yourself in the long run.

#sales #eq #selling