The Situation
Chris is a sales rep for a web hosting business. Julia, the office manager for a law firm, is looking for a new web host and was referred to Chris’ company. After a short phone conversation, they set up a meeting.
As Chris introduces himself and starts to familiarize Julia with his company, she breaks in and says, “You come highly recommended, but it’s really important that you provide the best security we can get. I couldn’t tell this from your website. We had a problem with that previously, and now it’s our highest priority.”
“I’ll Get to That”
Chris waves his hands, smiles, and says, “I’ll get into that. In fact, I have an entire part of my presentation devoted to it!” But let me give you some more background about who we are and . . . .”
Chris thought this was the best way to handle Julia’s preemptive question. Later, he would address it fully with some graphics on his iPad to help visualize the technical details. He would have plenty of time to relieve her concerns, and the discussion would be more powerful after he laid more groundwork.
Unenthused Response
Chris proceeded his way, but didn’t get the order that day. Now, he’s not sure where he stands with this prospect. What aspect of Q4 selling would have made him act differently?