Excuses

from the book "NO EXCUSE! in business"

- When you have a prospective client, which means that you know that he needs your product and possibly he has the funds for it as well, then everything depends on how you are able to handle the upcoming excuses.
- Is there always an excuse?
- What is your experience? - I could not stand not to laugh.
- Forget my question. - John laughed as well.
- Using an excuse is the natural game of the prospective client, which usually scares the sales guys. It has become a natural reaction that when we hear an excuse we immediately panic, start to give discounts or we believe that it is the end. Then a few months later we will hear that our prospective clients bought almost the same product from one of our competitors.
- I know this by heart. - John said.
- Then please start to handle them. Do not be scared, because it is all about practicing.
- And the result?
- The result of handling the excuses?
- Yes.
- Look, many prospective clients have a very clear intention to buy, however they are afraid of the commitment. Once they sign a contract the game has finished. Therefore they give excuses to gain more time, information or confidence before their final decision. If you are able to provide them the confidence they can still ask for more time. Therefore you need to control the process.
- Would you practice with me again? - John asked.
- Yes, sure. Drop me some excuses.

John seemed to be very excited and happy and I was sure that he has a much longer excuse list than before, however I was also sure that I am able to handle them.



- Let’s get started - he smiled at me.
- Go on.
- I do not need this! - started John.
- If you would not need this we would not be sitting here - I replied him quickly.
- Nice. - said John - What if I repeat it? I really do not need this.
- I am pretty sure that your current system is working well John. I am also sure that it gives you the feeling of survival, but the only question is when would you like to start to develop and to grow. Because based on my own experience you can not survive for long on budget cuts and on solutions that do not support your activity. No business should live from its reserves. What I am offering here is a product and a tool to develop your business, to increase the number of your clients and to gain business and financial stability.

When I finished my sentence I watched John’s reaction who was under shock.

- Wow. No words. - he started. - You turned that back on me nicely.
- Yes. Handling a prospective client is all about handling his excuses. You should never let a prospective client go away or think, because then you will have a great chance that he will buy from someone else.
- But you can not force him.
- No, but you can guide him.
- I should make some notes... - John said.
- It’s not necessary because every case is different, such as every person you will meet and talk to. You have to feel this and also its limits.
- Limits? - he asked back.


- Yes, because sometimes you need to answer back in a very hard way and sometimes you need to handle the prospective client in a very gentle way. There are limitations.
- I understand. Shall we continue? - John asked.

I just gave him a sign with my hand that I am ready for the next round.

- How much is it?
- Much less than the result it brings you back in a very short time period.
- Hey-hey-hey. - John shouted. - You did not answer the question.
- Because I do not want to talk about the price. When you start to negotiate over the price you immediately go into the game of the prospective client. I never give them the chance to negotiate about the price. However I always answer in a different way.
- How many answers do you have?
- Endless. - I smiled at John.
- Okay. How much is it?
- I am giving you the tool, which you have been looking for since a long time. Something, which will improve your business. What do you think how much is it worth?
- How much is it?
- It is not important how much it is, what is important is that it brings you new clients.
- How much is it?
- It is not important how much it is, the importance is that it will close out your competitors.
- How much is it?
- It is not important how much it is, what is important is the reactions that it creates within the clients. You can spend less, but you can not be sure that you will deliver your brand message to the prospective clients.
- Okay, wait. - John said. - You are throwing back the same scheme.
- Yes, because you are repeating the same question. - I laughed at John.
- So you do not have any other idea? - he asked.

I started to feel that he is trying to challenge me in this but I really enjoyed it. I was ready for this challenge.

- So what is your next question? - I asked John.
- How much is it? - he smiled.
- Before I would say anything I have to tell you that it is a very expensive solution because this really works in real life. So should I stay or go?
- Could you tell me how much it is? - John challenged me further.
- Ten thousand. - I smiled at John.
- It is expensive!
- Yes it is. - I agreed with John - Not everyone can afford it, just as not every business survives.
- I do not need it!
- In order to develop your business, in order to gain more income you need this. Without this you will be continuously looking for another solution, which is waste of time. This solution is here and it helps you to gain results.
- But it is still expensive!
- Expensive are all those things that do not bring you result. In the past years I have had plenty dinners where the food was bad. Also I have been to movies that were boring. These things were very expensive, because I did not receive the expected result even if their cost were only a few hundred. However when something brings you the expected result then it can not be considered expensive.


- Yeah, but ten thousand? It is a fortune. - John smiled at me.
- If you buy something for one million, which brings you back twenty million in a very short time then was the one million expensive?
- No, but there are other cheaper solutions.
- Indeed. There are many cheaper solutions. And you can spend a real fortune trying all of them, however perhaps they will not bring you back the same result as this service I offer to you.
- Expensive...
- It is! - I replied quickly. - Because it is a premium product. It is not for everyone.

John started to be very exhausted, but he continued.

- It is still expensive.
- Look, my business is running well. I have made many new clients in the last few years, my company is running with profit. I do not need this deal with you. I am here to help you to grow and develop.
- Is it really working?
- If it would not be working I would never do this...
- But is it really working?
- I only promise something if I am hundred percent sure that it is working.
- So do you have any experience with this product?
- Yes. Look I have to tell you that in the beginning I had my doubts too. When I started to use this product I started to gain new clients and they started to spread the word regarding how good I am. Therefore I have gained additional new clients. This is why I trust this product.
- What is your guarantee? - John asked.



And here it is, this is my favorite question. People are always looking for guarantees. However in many cases you can not predict a future, which is specially true with business planning or consultations, which is my field of area. Of course you can work based on your life experiences and business knowledge or know-how but when you go into details they are always looking for the black spots to find a good reason not to buy. So I always drop this question back as hard as I can.

- My guarantee? - I asked back.
- Yes. - said John and I felt he is extremely satisfied because he thought he caught me. But he was far far away from the truth.
- People believe that sales and marketing is a logical process. If this would be true then we would not need anymore marketing and sales experts. It would be enough to put out a form into our website, and the prospective clients would spontaneously and immediately recognize it and they would just flow into our business. However it is not the way it works. This is why you need new points of view which is why I am here. Right?

John knew that he would be finished with this guarantees round if he would agree with my thoughts. Instead he immediately deflected the question and moved into another direction.

- We did not calculate with this amount in our budget. - John said.
- I am asking you to think about when do you want to start to really improve. When do you want new clients?
- Now, but it still does not fit the planned budget.
- If you want to make a deal next year it is perfectly fine for me, however I am not sure that this product will be available next year because of the serious amount of interest and its proven track record.


- Not in the budget. - John forced me further.
- No problem. Just a last remark, I am not able to book or hold this product for you and part of my obligation is to let you know that probably we will sell this product to another company in your field of business.
- Wow, that is harsh. - John replied.
- Which part?
- Selling it to my competitors? It sounds very rude.
- No, I never said that directly. - I smiled at John - I just pointed out that the product is good enough, so it will be sold.
- Let’s go back! - John said - I am not sure that we can pay this amount this year.
- Look, the only way to work together if we can sign the contract this year and you are able to fulfill the payment.
- Nice try. - John said.
- Look, you just mentioned to me the key words.
- What key words? - John asked surprised.
- When people start to negotiate on the payment deadline you can be hundred percent sure that they desperately need your product. It is sure because their focus is not on the product anymore but on the “How can we pay this” issue.

I knew that John understood this. I was really curious how many times he has met with this situation without knowing that he was already in the finish line. Probably it was a lot but I did not want to ask him because I wanted to protect him from another negative impact, from some bad recognition. So I let him ask further questions.

- I have to talk this over with the headquarter of our branch.
- I know that you have multiple branches and of course a headquarter in New York. However we are in London now and we are looking to increase the performance indicators of the London office. As far as I know you are the responsible for these indicators and you need to show up the improvement. What would the New York headquarter say if you would not be able to grab the opportunity to improve?
- Yes, but I still have to talk this over with the headquarter.
- Of course. Just a last question what does the New York office want? Improvements and new clients, right? So do you think they would refuse an offer, which ensures all these?

John scratched the top of his head and then he looked into my eyes.

- You know Zsolt, if I would knew these answers before I would be much more relaxed now. - then he lifted his glass. - Cheers.
- Cheers - I replied back and we both enjoyed a bit of our tasty whisky.
- So, let’s say I need to think about this.
- Okay, just try to feel the excuses and handle them easily.
- No, no - said John. - This is my next excuse. I need to think about this.
- Okay. So... - I tried to collect my thoughts. - If you would not need this we would not be sitting here.
- Ha-ha. I got you! You already said this.
- But this is good here as well, right? It is a universal one. - I smiled back.
- No other ideas?
- I am sorry but as I see you are looking for business improvements since many years. I am sure if you say yes to my offer you will not regret it.
- Not bad, but I have to compare it with other possible solutions.


- Of course, you are entitled to do it. However let me ask, since when are you looking for a solution like this? There are two things that are usually missing in a company: time and money. If you choose to look further you will loose time, which will result in an unnecessary delay concerning your improvement. I know from my experience that it can cause increased stress level. If we would sign a contract today then you could start to improve immediately, to gain more profit and not to mention that you could decrease your stress level.
- Probably you are right - John said, but I continued my thoughts immediately, giving no chance to John.
- Look, I am sure that you receive various business offers in a daily base specially in the field of your expertise. However as we both know it is the result that counts not the offer.
- Maybe it is true, but I have to think about this.
- John, I am in this business since sixteen years. Everyone who told me that they will think about my offer, could not come back to me with a better solution no matter how much time has passed by. As I mentioned to you money and time are always missing in a company. The only question is when is one ready to change all this.

Since I realized that John is giving me the same excuses over and over again, I decided to tell him some basic thoughts again. I was sure that he already forgot the main reason why we started this whole excuse topic.

- I see you enjoy this. - I said to John.
- Yes of course. Do you need a break?
- No, I just want to highlight something for you.
- I am listening.
- The thing is that we are only handling excuses in this way when we are sure that the prospective client has a serious interest in our product, therefore he needs it and he is also able to afford it.


- I know. - John said.
- Yes, and another very important thing is that no one has money to throw out of the window. So if you are sure about the intent but the prospective client has no money, you can still force him to change or reorganize his budget.
- Go it.
- So in real life probably you will never receive the same excuses over and over again.
- Okay, I understand your point. - John acknowledged me.
- Please do not misunderstand me, it is great if you are able to create a list of excuses. I suggest this to all my business partners. If you have a list of possible excuses attached with ways to handle them then you will be able to react faster. Many of my partners have weekly trainings as well for their sales people to practice this.
- Cool. I will have a list of excuses too. - John said in a very happy tone.
- I am glad.
- Zsolt, please one more topic.
- I am listening.
- What about the lawyers? - John asked.
- You mean by...? - I asked back.
- For example, the excuse of I have to check this with my lawyer.
- You just throw this back too.
- Okay, but how?
- Let’s see... - I started - I completely agree with you because lawyers are the guardians of our businesses. But let’s start with a letter of intent because this way we can start the improvement process immediately without loosing any delay.
- Another one? The last one I promise. - John said to me with a kind of prayer in his eyes.

- I have many clients in various business sectors. I have worked for IBM, SWAROVSKI, Carrefour, Alstom Power and many other big corporate giants, and I never experienced any problem with our contracts. Of course we can let the lawyers double-check it, however in the meantime let’s start with a letter of intent.
- So do you allow the lawyer?
- Look, the one thing that is important is that you can not attack your prospective client. However you can give him more information. Lawyer issue is always a tricky part of the business because a legal advisor is always busy, therefore it takes much more time and you will have no chance to influence him and let the lawyer know why your product is ideal for his client.
- Exactly.
- So you can ensure them the possibility to check everything with the lawyer but before you should get a letter of intent.
- Why? - John asked curiously.
- Because if you have a letter of intent then you have a deal. My experience is that without a letter of intent you can lose your business when it gets to the lawyer because he can always find a small thing, which can destroy your chances. However if you have an intent then the lawyers will be in a position where they need to correct only the mistakes in the following contract instead of refusing the whole co- operation. When they acknowledge that their client needs you then they will help the process. This is why you have to have a letter of intent before the lawyer receives anything.
- Last question. - John said.
- Go on, I am listening.
- What if they really do not have money?

This was the point where we both knew that this is a completely new story.

Paperback:  229 pages
Publisher:   Lulu
ISBN:  978-1-300-52746-6
Language:  English

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