你一定想不到，有那麼多業務人員會說些話來破壞自己的努力，例如：

■ 「你大概從來沒有想到這一點，不過……」，暗指顧客沒有考慮過公司的營業範圍。

■ 「我們運用……幫助像貴公司一樣的企業，省下數百萬元不必要的支出」，暗指潛在顧客不知道自己在做什麼。

■ 「在貴公司的產業中，好些經營成功的企業早就已經……」，暗指顧客不是成功的企業，否定了顧客內心的認知。

上述這些「指桑罵槐」的說法，表示顧客可能只是聽到你對他的能力有所批評，而不是給他有用的建議。更何況，潛在顧客或許早就從其他企業的業務人員口中，聽過太多次這類評論了，所以潛在顧客當然只會把身體往椅背上一靠、雙手抱胸，去想其他更有趣的事情，沒興趣聽你叨叨絮絮。

要讓銷售對話理性而慎重，對話雙方必須相互尊重。潛在顧客必須相信，業務人員真的會提供重要的意見，同時業務人員也必須承認，顧客比自己更了解顧客公司的業務及產業。如果缺乏相互尊重，你的銷售簡報結果就會變得陳腔濫調，使得自己提供的解決方案成了平凡無奇的大宗商品。

行銷人員的傳統戰術──陌生電訪、電話行銷、商展、直接郵購和廣告──近期的成效和投資報酬率每況愈下。如今新的態勢是行銷必須製造有用的內容，吸引潛在客戶進入銷售漏斗，再由業務團隊引導潛在客戶自己做出正確的購買決策完成交易。今天的銷售漏斗運作方式比較像這樣：

1 集客流量──你可以使用點擊付費、搜尋引擎最佳化和其他形式的廣告、公共關係、演講邀約等等，讓人們進入漏斗成為聯絡對象。你也要有明確的行動戰略，從既有客戶獲得推薦。這麼做的目的是為了和新對象展開對話。

2 提供無風險服務──一旦人們造訪你的網站，你提供他們說明書、電子書、免費指南、產業情報等他們重視的東西。目標只是為了取得他們的名字和電子信箱，以便未來可以逐步提供他們更多材料。你要試著把這些名單轉化為可能對你的產品感興趣的疑似客戶。

3 提供低風險服務──有了他們的聯絡資料，你便可以開始提供他們網路研討會、網路廣播、案例展示、免費估價和諮商等等。低風險服務可以建立關係，並允許那些條件不符者選擇退出。你藉此把疑似客戶轉換成潛在客戶。請記住，傳送無風險或低風險服務，全靠網站自動執行，因此進行步調可以由你的未來顧客自行決定。

4 銷售流程──如果人們對你的低風險服務有正面反應，你可以用報價和提案的形式，繼續提供他們更客製化的內容，迎合他們的特殊需求。這時，你試著轉換潛在客戶成為成交機會，最終成為顧客，銷售導遊也在此時介入進來。

大多數的人被強力推銷時，都會自動產生抗拒。他們內心有個拒絕被說服的防衛雷達，只要有人試圖說服他們去做某件事，防衛機制就會啟動。

要減少心理抗拒，催化高手發現最好的辦法是透過適當「媒介」──不是直接告訴人們要怎麼做，而是：

1 提供一些適當的選項──讓人們選擇最適合他們的選項。這麼做可以給對方控制權及自由的感覺，他們得以選擇，而不是在他們身上強加什麼東西。

2 提出問題──而不是陳述確切的事實。如果你與利害關係人交談，不妨徵求他們的意見，並了解他們的觀點。你往往會發現，你可以引導他們朝正確的方向思考。你或許還能增強你建議的效果，因為人們在受到尊重及理解後，會更願意接受新的想法。

3 突顯落差──也就是去強調對方想法與行動之間明顯的分別。在泰國一項非常成功的禁菸運動中看見，一個5、6歲的孩子去問身邊的大人 :「你有打火機嗎？」大人必定會訓斥孩子吸菸有何壞處。廣告接著指明，如果吸菸對孩子有害，那麼對成年人不也同樣有害嗎？這則廣告突顯出人們所說的與實際行為之間的落差，以促使人們戒菸。

4 從同理心出發──就像穿對方的鞋子走幾哩路一般，從他們的角度去看事物。這也是專業人質談判專家偏愛的方法。

It's amazing how many sales people sabotage their own efforts by saying things like:

■ "You've probably never thought of this, but……" implying the cutomer doesn't think about their own line of business.

■ "We save companies like yours millions of dollars in unnecessary costs by……" suggesting the prospective customer doesn't know what they are doing.

■ "Some of the more successful companies in your industry are already……" implying the customer isn't in that category, despite what they may think.

Dangling insults like these can mean the customers are hearing criticisms of their competence rather than helpful suggestions. Furthermore, prospective customers have more than likely heard these comments so many times before from other sales people they will just naturally lean back in their chairs, cross their arms and think about something more interesting.

To have a rational and measured sales conversation, mutual respect is required. The prospective customer must believe the sales person actually has something of value to offer, but equally the sales person needs to acknowledge the customer knows more about their business and industry than them. Without that mutual respect, all you end up with is a canned presentation that commoditizes the solution you're offering.

The traditional tactics of marketers -- cold calling, telemarketing, trade shows, direct mail and advertising -- are all declining in effectiveness and ROI these days. The new dynamic which exists today is marketing has to make available content which will attract potential buyers into the sales funnel and then the sales team finishes the sale by guiding the prospect to make the right purchase decision for themselves.Today's sales funnel works more like this:

1 Inbound Traffic – to bring people into the funnel as contacts, you use pay-per-click, search engine optimization and other forms of advertising, public relations, speaking engagements and so on. You also have definitive strategies in action for getting referrals from your existing customers. The aim here is to start conversations with new people.

2 No-Risk Offers – once people visit your Web site, you provide them with white papers, eBooks, free guides, tip sheets and other content they value. The objective here is solely to get their name and e-mail address so you can then drip-feed them with more material in the future. You're trying to convert those contacts into suspects for what you have to offer.

3 Low-Risk Offers – with their contact details, you then start building the relationship by offering them webinars, webcasts, demos, free assessments and consultations and so forth. Low-risk offers build the relationship and allow those who are not qualified to buy to opt out. You're trying to turn suspects into prospects by doing this. Note that the delivery of your no-risk and low-risk offers is entirely automated on your Web site and thereby moves at whatever pace your future customer chooses.

4 Sales Process – if people respond positively to your low-risk offers, you can then keep offering them more personalized content in the form of quotes and proposals which are fitted to their unique needs. By this stage, you're trying to convert prospects into opportunities and ultimately into customers and this is where Sales Guides become involved.

Most people when pushed just automatically push back. They have an inbuilt anti-persuasion protection radar which kicks in whenever someone is trying to persuade them to do something.

To reduce reactance, catalysts generally find it's best to allow for agency – don't tell people what to do directly but instead:

1 Provide a menu of suitable options – and let them choose what will be best for them. Doing this gives the other person control and a sense of freedom. They get to choose rather than having something imposed on them.

2 Ask questions – rather than making definitive statements of fact. If you visit with stakeholders, ask for their opinions, and get to understand their perspectives, you'll often find you can then steer them in the right direction. You'll probably also enhance the effectiveness of your suggestion, because people will be more willing to go along because they feel respected and understood.

3 Highlight a gap – an obvious disconnect between their thoughts and their actions. A very effective anti-smoking campaign run in Thailand showed a 5-or 6-year old child approaching an adult with a request "Have you got a light?" The adults invariably lectured the youngster about the negative effects of smoking. The ads then said if smoking is bad for kids, isn't it equally bad for adults? That gap between what people said and what they in fact did was then highlighted to get people to give up the habit.

4 Start with empathy – walk a few miles figuratively in their shoes and see things from their perspective. This is the approach favored by professional hostage negotiators.

推薦書單

NO.209 診斷式銷售
Exceptional Selling: How the Best Connect And Win in High Stakes Sales
by 傑夫．瑟爾（Jeff Thull）

NO.452 引導式銷售
Fire Your Sales Team Today: Then Rehire Them As Sales Guides In Your New Revenue Department
by 邁克．利伯曼（Mike Lieberman）、艾利克．凱里斯（Eric Keiles）

No.772 人心催化劑
The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind
by 約拿．伯格（Jonah Berger）
中文版：《如何改變一個人》（時報出版，2021）