In part one of “How to Improve Your Sales Without Being Salesy,” we discussed the simple tricks of an Upfront Contract to improve your relationships, be a better salesperson, and close more deals.

Shortly after writing the initial draft for the article, I thought to myself — “This is only ONE part of how to sell without being salesy…” and so, just like that, we turned this into a series of articles.

In fact, moments after I started to write, I interviewed someone interested in joining The Predictable Profits Academy.

Given it was a referral, I thought the conversation would be easy…

Boy, was I wrong…

Right out of the gates, he hit me with:

“Alright, Zach, I’m told you guys are some of the best coaches in the business. You’ve got 10 minutes. What can you do for me? What’s your pitch?”

If you’re in sales, chances are you’ve faced a similar situation… Right?

I happily accepted his challenge because after all, your typical prospect has been conditioned, groomed, and trained for YEARS to control the sales call.

Here’s how to deal with it:

RULE #1: Don’t let your prospect control the sales call (you have to be the one in charge)

This is one of the most important reasons you must use the Upfront Contract to implement YOUR agenda.

If you don’t, you’re stuck in a situation where your prospect is controlling the conversation… And trust me, if you’re looking for top conversions, that’s NOT where you want to be.

Regardless, some people are so dead set on taking control, they inevitably end up being “difficult.”

Perhaps they’re short with you…

Remaining closed off and don’t want to open up…

…Or flat out refusing to play along.

For many salespeople, this is a problem.

For the strategic salesperson, this can be your opportunity to shine.

So, I wanted to share with you another tip for dealing with difficult prospects who are “out to get you.”

…And a strategy for turning them around to become some of your BEST clients.

My CEO and mentor Charles Gaudet (founder of Predictable Profits) explained this strategy to me.

First, understand that when you get to know Charlie, you’ll see that behind his professional appearance… He’s a badass. He competes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and competitively fights because it’s “fun.”

Anyway…

He used a Jiu Jitsu mindset to teach me a trick that instantly increased my sales.

You see, if someone were to push you on the shoulders, what would be your natural response?

Would you let them push you, or would you push back?

Chances are, you’d push back.

Right?

It’s natural… And in the same vein, if you’re having a conversation and your prospect challenges you, the tendency is to push back, forget your plan, and go into full “pitch mode”.

Take this for example:

PROSPECT: Alright Zach, what’s your pitch? You have 10 minutes. What can you do for me?

TYPICAL SALESPERSON: Mr. Prospect, {INSERT SHAMELESS SALES PITCH BEGGING FOR MORE TIME AND TRYING TO CONVINCE MR. PROSPECT WHY THEY ARE THE BEST}

(PAUSE)

PROSPECT: Okay, I’ll think about it and get back to you.

…But Charlie taught me that in jiu jitsu, this isn’t always the right play. In fact, the best fighters know to use their opponent’s momentum against them.

So picture this: rather than pushing back, they roll with it – and use the push to disarm their opponent.

And much like Jiu Jitsu, you can use this approach in sales to disarm difficult, challenging prospects – to get to a place where we can have a meaningful conversation and see if there is a good fit.

Of course, if they insist on being difficult, maybe they aren’t worth the time after all…

More often than not, however, this simple trick will have you winning more sales with relative ease…

This is how it looks:

PROSPECT: Alright Zach, what’s your pitch? You have 10 minutes. What can you do for me?

SALESPERSON: Mr. Prospect, I gotta be honest with you. I don’t have a pitch for you.

(PAUSE)

PROSPECT: Uh, what do you mean? Can you help me grow my business or not?

SALESPERSON: I don’t know. I don’t know if we can…

(PAUSE)

Look, I won’t say we can help you double your business, but a lot of times we do. You may have everything perfect… Or we might be able to triple your business, for all I know.

But here’s my challenge: we need to better understand the baseline, see if there is a good fit between us, and see what’s possible.

But I don’t know, it doesn’t sound like you’d be interested in having a conversation about it…

(PAUSE)

PROSPECT: Um, I’m sorry Zach. I just have a lot going on here. I am interested. Would you be willing to tell me more?

SALESPERSON: [INSERT UPFRONT CONTRACT]

You see how the salesperson “took it away” from the prospect?

Rather than launching into his pitch, proclaiming why they’re the best in the world and rattling off 17 reasons why they should do business together…

He tells the prospect, “I don’t know, maybe you shouldn’t do business with us.”

Instantly, the prospect is confused…

He’s sitting up, listening, and thinking to himself: “This is unlike any sales call I’ve been on before…”

And the best part? You’re not being slimy or salesy… there is no trying to “get him.”

Just being honest and real — creating trust and opening the doors to a real conversation…

Which is what you wanted to do in the first place, right?

RULE #2: Avoid the Pitch

Kevin Hallenbeck of Sandler Training shared a strategy with me called “Negative Reverse Selling.”

Your prospect is used to salespeople hitting them with a pitch – so rather than dance with you, they often want to cut to the chase to get the pitch over and done with…

It’s another way they try to control the sales call…

Here’s how it works:

PROSPECT: Zach, I gotta tell ya: I’ve been doing business with {COMPETITOR} for 10 years. He’s been my business coach for a long time… Why should I switch with you?

SALESPERSON: Maybe you shouldn’t – but let me ask you a question. You must’ve brought that up for a reason, right?

PROSPECT: Well, I’m curious to hear what you offer and if it’s better than what {COMPETITOR} has.

SALESPERSON: Well, we help entrepreneurs like you grow their businesses.

PROSPECT: But is it better than what I’ve got now?

SALESPERSON: All of it? Is it better than everything you’ve got? I don’t know…

PROSPECT: Well, if I’m gonna switch from {COMPETITOR} to you, I want to know it’s better than what I’ve got now.

SALESPERSON: Switch from {COMPETITOR}? You don’t want to do that. You don’t even know me.

(PAUSE)

SALESPERSON: Look, sir, nobody is perfect. Not even {COMPETITOR}. Not even us… If there was one thing {COMPETITOR} could do better, what would it be?

– END –

Obviously this is not a full example (and may be a bit extreme), but do you see what we did there?

At every point where he offered up an opportunity for us to “make a move” and launch our pitch, we went the other direction…

Do business with us? “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

You’re bonding here… You’re the first salesperson this guy has encountered that told him the truth.

And you’re getting him to open up by asking questions!

Do you see how you can turn a potentially hostile call into a friendly one?

This simple trick has enabled me to take even the most challenging prospects down to a level where we can have an honest conversation to determine if there’s even a good fit.

And like Charlie said about his Jiu Jitsu – when you’re getting pushed for a “pitch,” don’t engage and push back and launch right into it. Instead, look for the underlying objection and disarm it.

Now, this can be a bit challenging, and may sound weird at first… So if you’d like to roleplay and see how you can use this in your business, register to watch this strategy presentation, then sign up for a free strategy session.

With the strategy session, you’ll get first hand experience of how this works (and, if you’re a good fit, I’ll explain how we might work together to grow your own business).