3 assertiveness strategies to prospect and close sales

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There are various prospecting strategies that can help us effectively reach our potential clients. Although some are more convenient than others depending on the type of business we operate in, there are methodologies that achieve better results regardless of the sector, which are based on assertiveness and the client's pain points.

Let's review 3 assertiveness strategies that will help us close more sales during the prospecting process.

1. Ask the tough questions early on
Some salespeople wait to build a relationship of trust with the prospect before asking more difficult questions regarding the solution they seek. Regardless of the communication context – whether via an email chain, in a sales meeting, or over the phone – it is essential to attack difficult questions from the beginning, as long as they are rcs data pakistan assertively, that is, from empathy and always presenting an implicit or underlying solution.

The reason behind this is that it creates false expectations in the potential client if we only talk to them about how easy the collaborative work process will be after the sale, thus sabotaging the ideal of assertive communication. When offering the solution to the client, we must do so in a transparent and direct way, taking into consideration their pain points: “what is the problem”, “how do you want to solve it”, “the solution may not be immediate, but with time we will be able to solve these headaches”.

2. Ask questions, then mention possible solutions
It is sometimes thought that assertiveness and assertive communication strategies will be well executed as long as the tone is kept away from being negative or aggressive. Nothing could be further from the truth: the client can perceive certain condescending and offensive tones even if the aggression is not explicit.

A good way to solve this dilemma is to first ask our prospects questions and then present possible solutions. For example, if the potential client needs to improve their sales area and we offer a sales consulting service to companies, we should not assume that our solution is the solution that the client wants to hear, by saying something like: “Look, what we are going to do is restructure your entire sales area.” This can be offensive, especially if there are decision makers and important collaborators within the sales area.

It would be better to first ask who is in charge of the sales area, how it is currently developing, what shortcomings they believe exist, etc.

3. Accept the prospect's response
Even if we don't like what we hear, accepting the potential client's response is essential as part of assertiveness strategies, as it reflects a more receptive and understanding attitude regarding the pain points they are experiencing.

For example, if we ask at a certain point what their budget is for a certain item and the prospect responds that they are not comfortable disclosing that figure, it would be best to move forward and continue examining the pain points, rather than dwelling on where we crossed the line or how to fix that awkward situation.

As in life, learning to accept “no” as an answer is essential to achieving assertive communication. In this way, we also make the prospect understand that we can live with negative responses, which will probably continue to be repeated in the future in a relationship of trust, precisely what is sought when collaborating with third parties. Therefore, the message is more positive than negative on the assertive scale.