I used to avoid risk in my deals at all costs. “If we don’t talk about it, the buyer won’t worry about it.”
I lost deal after deal as my buyers failed to overcome the risk on their own.
I finally learned to run at risk to help my buyers confidently move forward.
One risk your buyer is ALWAYS worried about is, “What if I buy this and it doesn’t work as expected?”
CFOs are worried about buying shelfware (companies spend millions on solutions that are never used).
Your champion is worried that what they saw in the demo isn’t real life (companies waste millions on vaporware).
Your champion also worries that your “easy to implement” solution might not be as easy as you claim (companies lose months navigating longer-than-expected implementations).
Regardless of your buyer’s specific worry, they don’t want to be “that person” approving a soon-to-be regretted purchase.
Most reps will “sell” past these concerns with ROI studies, customer stories, and even reference calls. Not bad, but your customer will still be skeptical. “It’s never as good as they say” will be running through their minds.
Instead, I recommend that you run at this risk by giving examples of companies struggling to implement your solution and then explain how you won’t let that happen to your buyer.
This validates that they are smart to think of that risk. Then, it mitigates the risk because you share your plan to ensure their success.
Here’s an example talk track:
“We’ve seen thousands of successful implementations. Along the way, we’ve learned what can go wrong and how to prevent those problems.
The most common cause of a failed implementation is failing to get alignment with IT stakeholders.
What’s the best way to schedule a call with your IT team to walk through exactly what we’ll need from them to ensure a smooth experience?
Involving them now will ensure we hit the ground running.”
Acknowledging that things can go wrong while providing a plan to ensure they don’t will build confidence with your buyer.
They go from thinking, “I may buy this, and it won’t work,” to, “As long as we follow these recommendations, I can move forward with confidence.”
You’ll come across as being realistic, transparent, and trustworthy rather than salesy, manipulative, and pushy.
Take a few minutes today to consider the risks your buyers may be worrying about. Then, resolve it by confirming their concern and preparing them to avoid a bad outcome.
p.s. Serious sellers are accelerating their careers by installing my proven Frameworks into their sales motion.
If you want access to my step-by-step guide for every part of the sales cycle, hit the button below. The same frameworks I’ve used (and taught) to accelerate my career from SDR to VP in 7 years.
You’ll be taken to a page where you’ll hear from me directly about why I’m so passionate about offering my Frameworks to you…
…and see exactly what’s included and how it’ll help you close more business.
Hit the link right here to explore what’s inside my Account Executive Frameworks.
