Not all “yeses” in sales are created equal. Discover the three types of “yeses” and how to challenge each one for qualifying a sales lead.
Shorten the Sales Cycle by Challenging "Yes" Responses
There are three types of "yes" responses a prospect will give during the sales process. Each of these responses needs to be challenged, but in a nurturing and appropriate way. By doing so, you will be able to qualify your prospect and their level of interest in your product. We tell you how in this video.
1. The COUNTERFEIT Yes
A prospect may have decided that the best way to bring the sales process to a conclusion - to say "no" without having to actually say "no" - is to say "yes" because that is what you want to hear. Your gut instinct usually tells you when the prospect is saying "yes" when in fact they mean "no." If you challenge that response, you can quickly qualify the prospect and determine if it makes sense to move forward or devote that time to another prospect.
2. The Confirming Yes
A "confirming yes" simply means the prospect is agreeing with what you are saying and they like where the sales process is going. This "yes" response does not need to be challenged as much as a "counterfeit yes" but the goal of questioning is to determine why you and the prospect are in alignment. When you confirm what resonated most with your prospect, you can focus on those points throughout the rest of the sales process.
3. The Committed Yes
A prospect will say "yes" when they have embraced what you are selling and are ready to move forward. In order to avoid confusion, it is still important to challenge this "yes" response to be sure that there is no misunderstanging between what you are thinking and what your prospect is thinking. Removing confusion will lead to greater client satisfaction and reduce the sales cycle.
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Video Transcript
You start out in sales where there's that binary outcome: “yes” or “no.”
I have discovered three types of “yeses” in selling. The first yes is a counterfeit yes. I mean, they're saying yes just because we have happy ears. And they're picking up that we have happy ears. And the best way to keep the process going, the best way to bring things to no without saying no, is the counterfeit yes.
Your sixth sense is telling you it's a counterfeit “yes.” And you've got to challenge that “yes.”
That might sound something like, you know, when you say yes, especially as it relates to dot, dot, dot, what do you mean? And get them to elaborate.
Now, the next yes is a confirming yes. The confirming yes is nothing more than their agreement with what you're saying. But again, that requires some challenge, but not as challenging as the counterfeit yes.
A confirming yes might be that they agree in terms and want to continue the process because they like where it's going. But still, you have to ask. OK, so you're affirming or agreeing with me in this area. So why?
The next yes is the committed yes. That means they're committed to you. But still, you've got to challenge every one of these yeses. So when they say yes, OK, you're saying yes. Does that mean that we're going to the next step? You're doing business with me? What does that mean?
And you know, sometimes you can play dumb like a fox.
For example, you know, you're telling me “yes.” What does that mean from your perspective? Now I'm not talking about confronting them, but challenging them to nurture them. When you use your gut (and your gut's more right than not), you're going to figure out what “yes” you're dealing with, then you challenge it in the most appropriate way because if you do, you're going to shorten that selling cycle and get some outcomes you'd like.
