If you ever hear that from somebody, run for the hills. Why do I bring this up? Because I recently read a blog post by a self-proclaimed security marketing “guru” who claims, in no uncertain terms, that neighborhood canvassing (aka, door knocking) doesn’t work. Period. End of discussion. Hmmm… interesting. That should come as news to the many security salespeople who canvass with great success.

I know quite a few very successful security salespeople who really love canvassing. They enjoy getting out in their neighborhoods, walking around and engaging people. They have the kind of outgoing, gregarious personality that makes this approach work well for them. They don’t want to sit in an office “dialing for dollars” or mailing out postcards. They thrive on belly-to-belly face time. They create sales this way day in and day out.

Now, I personally wouldn’t choose door knocking as a prospecting method. Not because it doesn’t work, but because it doesn’t fit my own personality and temperament. So I’d go with another approach. One that I could get enthusiastic about and looked forward to doing every day. And that’s my point. A prospecting method that works well for one salesperson will fail miserably for another. The key is to match what you enjoy doing with your prospecting method(s) of choice. If you enjoy what you’re doing, that means you’ll actually do it. You’ll look forward to getting up every day and getting to work. You’ll spend more time prospecting, and you’ll get results. And of course, showing up is half the battle.

During my many years in the security business I’ve worked with hundreds of security sales reps and seen countless effective prospecting approaches. So never let anyone tell you something doesn’t work. Or that you should be using a “one-size-fits-all” marketing program. (Especially if it’s one they’re trying to sell you.)

“This security sales prospecting method never works…”

Last week I conducted a couple of training sessions with sales teams at two different security companies. (I always enjoy working with salespeople and learn something new from them every time.) If you’ve been through one of my training programs you know I’m a big fan of role playing, so everyone took their turn playing sales consultant and prospect. As we went through this exercise one issue came up over and over: the habit of salespeople to tell prospects what they need to solve their problems.

This urge to tell prospects what they need is understandable. After all, isn’t that our job as security consultants? Aren’t we professional problem solvers? Don’t prospects expect us to be the experts when it comes to security? Sure. But the point is that <em>how</em> you guide your prospects to those solutions has as much to do with whether or not they accept your ideas as what you recommend.

What’s important to keep in mind is that people love to <em>buy</em> but hate being <em>sold</em>. So the problem with telling is that, to a prospect, it feels like selling. When you tell a prospect what he needs he will instinctively sense you’re trying to sell him something, and anything that causes his “I’m being sold” alarm to go off will create resistance. Even if he thinks your recommendation is a good one, his natural instinct is still to push back due to the way the solution was presented. I’m not immune to this common sales malady myself and find myself biting my lip sometimes when I want to jump to what I think is an obvious solution to a client’s problem.

So what’s a better approach? Don’t tell… ask!

For instance, imagine a prospect tells you that one of her biggest worries is that her 13-year old daughter, Nicole, is home alone each afternoon when she gets out of school. After getting that kind of information what will most security salespeople do? That’s right. Make a recommendation: <em>Then what you need is our latchkey child check-in service!</em>

This may indeed be a good idea but, again, telling feels like selling and the prospect is likely to resist. Here’s the better way to go: Mrs. Smith, I can certainly understand your concern. Many of my customers in this area are in a similar situation. Let me ask you a question. When Nicole gets home from school alone, would it give you peace of mind if you had a way of knowing she was home safely, no matter where you were or what you were doing?

Notice how the salesperson painted a word picture for his prospect that got her to visualize one of the potential benefits of the security system. A benefit based on a strong emotion. Second, the salesperson didn’t give his opinion, he asked his prospect for hers. People love to be asked for their opinions. In fact, listening is such a rare art form that when you actively listen to someone, and demonstrate that you’re focused solely on them and interested in what they have to say, they will feel a strong connection and bond with you. He also demonstrated empathy and communicated his expertise in solving her problem without being “salesy.”

When you use this technique you transform yourself from a salesperson into the role of assistant buyer. You’re now on the same side of the table, working on a solution to the problem as a team with your prospect. It’s easy to see why this approach is far more likely to result in a positive response, isn’t it?
So the next time you feel the urge to tell your prospects what they need, stop yourself and rephrase your recommendation in the form of a question. Then be sure to actively listen to the response without interruption. Practice this technique until it becomes second nature. You’ll like the results.

I only wish I could find an institute that teaches people how to listen. Business people need to listen at least as much as they need to talk.

Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler

Telling Isn’t Selling