Tips for Dealing with Skeptical Prospects

Have you ever had one of those prospects that yawns when you're talking to them?
Perhaps you’ve run across the other kind that just sits there, glaring at you with their arms folded in a tense position?
If you have been selling for a few years maybe you have noticed this type of behaviour more often recently ?

A skeptical prospect like this isn't necessarily difficult, negative or resistant to change.

In many cases, skepticism is simply a rational response to the environment buyers now operate in.

They are exposed to more claims, more information, more competing opinions and more sales messages than ever before.
At the same time, they have more ways to check what they're being told.

That has changed the way buyers respond to salespeople.

They are less willing to take claims at face value, more likely to question what they hear, and more cautious about making a decision they may later regret.

This is part of what Michael Maslansky describes as the Post-Trust Era.

What is the PTE?

We live in what Michael Maslansky described as the Post-Trust Era — an environment in which buyers are more informed, more skeptical of marketing claims and less willing to accept what a salesperson tells them at face value.

That makes skepticism something salespeople should expect rather than something they should regard as a problem with the prospect.

America's trust in America died a tragic death in 2008, and it hasn't been resurrected.

The Psychology of Skeptics

You might find yourself dealing with a lot more skeptical buyers these days.

I have read that "The Psychology of Sceptics" often starts with pessimistic beliefs.
The thought pattern is, ...
"That won't work for me; it works for everyone else but not for me."

It often involves "away from" thinking, which means thinking about avoiding any problems.
In other words, these people are always looking for what can go wrong likely because they have been burned before.

Often, skeptics do not want to be told something is a good idea; they have to decide for themselves (which aligns with the third point from the book).

What Is the Buyer Skeptical About?

There are lots of things a buyer can be skeptical about:

• the claimed result could be exaggerated;
• whether it will work in their particular situation;
• implementation difficulty;
• hidden costs;
• your company's credibility;
• the consequences of making the wrong decision.

Don't Make Skepticism Worse

Are we helpless when faced with a skeptical prospect ?

On a personal level have you ever noticed the more enthusiastic you are the more sceptical people are?
Looking at it from the other side of the ledger, have you ever had someone exuberantly recommend a movie and it often doesn’t live up to their hype? 

So, is it about the skeptic's attitude or as much about the way an idea is put to them ?

I'd like to suggest a definition of communication that will help with that question.. 
”Communication is what the other person understood, not what you wanted them to get.” 

If you accept this definition when you don't get the reaction you want you can change what you do e.g. “that’s not what I meant, let me put it another way”.

If the buyer becomes more resistant, the useful question isn't ...
“What's wrong with them?” but “What did I just say or do that produced that response?”
Then you can change what you do e.g. “that’s not what I meant, let me put it another way”.

The Language of Suggestion

One of the points made above is that skeptical people don’t like being told what to do or how they should think.

So, one of the worst things you can do when communicating with a skeptic is insinuate that there is only one "right" answer. This leaves a prospect feeling as though they have no options.

Trying to force a skeptic to believe what you believe doesn’t work.

From the time we’re children, we resist being told what to do. We want freedom of choice.

Just try telling your teenager what they HAVE to do based on your years of experience (with all the best intentions) — Let me know how that goes!

This attitude can be addressed by using the Language of Suggestion. 

For you, that might be, ...
"I suspect I may have just the product you are looking for."

This creates curiosity rather than resistance and skepticism.

Think about when someone is trying to convince you of something.
How do you respond when someone says, "I know just the thing for you, you're going to love it"? 

Compare that to when someone says,
"May I give you some information about what you are trying to accomplish? It may help you make a decision, but only you can decide."
Or
"I'm wondering what you think about this as a possible solution?" 

These responses preserves the buyer's autonomy.

When you invite someone to be the judge, they are more likely to look at your ideas. 

So, if you find yourself telling, back up, erase, and start again.

Benjamin Franklin and the Language of Suggestion

Even Benjamin Franklin used this language of suggestion.

Early in his life, Benjamin Franklin was told by a friend that he was cocky, “overbearing” and “insolent”.

Did Ben get defensive? NO!
He changed his everyday language.

In Ben’s own words, …
“I even forbid myself…the use of every word or expression in the language that imported a fixed opinion, such as certainly, undoubtedly…and I adopted, instead of them, I conceive, I apprehend it, I imagine a thing to be so…”

This was written about years later under the description of, “Tentative Language”, described in the book, “Crucial Conversations”,  which states the more convinced you are the more resistant others become. Conversely the more tentatively you speak, the more open people become to your opinions.

This is much like the Language of Suggestion mentioned above.

Prepare by Seeing It From Their Point of View

Before meeting with a skeptical prospect, it helps to look at the situation from their point of view.

What might they be doubtful about? What risks might they see? What previous experiences could be influencing the way they respond to you? And what would they need to see, hear or understand before they became more comfortable moving forward?

This doesn't mean trying to guess exactly what the buyer is thinking. It means preparing yourself to enter the conversation with curiosity rather than assumptions.

Think about the claims they may question, the evidence they may want, and the concerns they may raise. Then consider how you can explore those issues without becoming defensive or trying too hard to persuade them.

The better you understand the situation as the buyer may see it, the easier it becomes to respond to their real concerns rather than simply reacting to their skepticism.

Rapport Helps — But Credibility and Trust Matter Too

Before you can try to suggest how you can satisfy your prospect's needs, you have to get them prepared to listen to you and respond to your questions.
After all, it is said that "People buy from (and listen to) people they know, like, and trust."

This means that before you even begin discussing the products and services you offer, you must establish a level of rapport.

Click this link or more on building Sales Rapport

Rapport can make a skeptical buyer more willing to engage with you, but rapport on its own is not enough.

A buyer may feel comfortable talking with you and still question whether your claims are accurate. They may believe you know your subject but still wonder whether you are genuinely acting in their best interests.

That is why it helps to distinguish between rapport, credibility and trust.

Rapport helps create openness and connection.
Credibility gives the buyer confidence that you know what you are talking about. A Flash Roll can help.
Trust gives them confidence in your intentions and in the way you are guiding the conversation.
And genuine trust is often built over time.
In many ways it's about making a buyer feel safe.

With a skeptical prospect, all three can matter.

One of the best ways to strengthen them is to acknowledge the buyer's perspective before rushing to answer or correct it.
You want to focus on THEIR wants, needs, concerns, and hesitations.

The surest way to make a skeptic tune you out is to talk about yourself and what YOU want.
Showing empathy and understanding towards prospective clients' needs is the foundation on which sales conversations are built today.

Remember it’s about meeting them where they are and leading them with your words and actions to where you want them to go.

Evidence (Internals versus Externals)

Testimonials and case studies will help you with about 50% of people. 

I'm sure you have presented all sorts of evidence to some prospects, and it has had absolutely no effect. These people are largely Internal in their judgments and are rarely swayed by what has worked for anyone else or what anyone else thinks.

Also, remember one of the thought patterns of skeptics I wrote about earlier on this page: "That won't work for me; it works for everyone else but not me."

So, relevant case studies and testimonials may be helpful (but don't count on it), including when you're first reaching out.

They say numbers don't lie. Skeptical prospects may be more likely to see your point when it's backed by cold, hard data.
But certainly, a skeptical buyer certainly won't be overly swayed by a success story from a company totally different from their own.

Even though data and evidence may not help, if using them you are better avoiding generic value statements.

Here’s an example of how you’d reframe a vague value statement:

Bad: “Our tool streamlines internal communication.”

Better: “Our tool reduces the average number of daily emails sent.”

Best: “Eighty-nine percent of our customers see each employee sending around 25% fewer emails per day.
For instance, Greenwood Supply’s average employee used to send 60 messages every day. Now, they send 45."

Avoid Shooting Yourself in the Foot

Avoid exaggeration or absolutes because they aren't believable.
No product or service is perfect, so acting like it is can be a major turnoff to a skeptical prospect.
They just want you to be upfront with them.
It might seem counterintuitive, but acknowledging the shortcomings of what you offer makes you more believable.

Have you ever had any prospects go macho on you?

You know, they already know everything about the topic you're trying to help them with.
And all their problems are of someone else’s making. 

To avoid triggering this response you need to run what you say or write through the macho test. 

Ask yourself these questions.

1. “Have I anywhere in what I’m about to say (or write) stated or implied that I know something that you don’t know” (This can be overcome by starting with, “I’m sure you’re aware”)
2. "Have I anywhere in my words (or text) stated or implied that you are not perfect in everything you do?" (Resolve this by referring to other people who have had this problem and ask your prospect, "How did you solve it?" Hopefully, they will say something like, "We do this, and it solves most of the problems.")
3. “Have I anywhere in my text (or speech) stated or implied that someone is more important than you are” 

As an example of macho behaviour have you ever seen anyone interviewed, when asked the question “were you surprised by the turn of events?”, actually ever admit to being surprised?

Avoid using fancy language.
Skeptical buyers are always on high alert for things that sound good yet don't mean anything, so using fancy lingo will convince them that you are, in fact, full of it.

If you say: “Our cost-effective solution is specifically engineered to meet your needs.”

What they hear: “Blah blah blah.”

Conclusion

The objective isn't to overcome a skeptical buyer.

It's to understand what they are skeptical about, respect the reasons for their caution, and create a conversation in which they can examine the decision for themselves.

That may mean using less pressure, fewer claims and more questions. It may mean acknowledging uncertainty rather than trying to eliminate it.

And it means responding to this buyer rather than applying a standard technique simply because they appear skeptical.

This forms part of Buyer-Responsive Selling.