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Thoughtful Thursdays – The hidden influencer

Today’s sales thought is about the hidden influencer. The hidden influencer is the external force that derails all your sales preparation and value building sales processes. The consequences of input from the hidden influencer to your prospect include unreasonable price objections or loss of a sale.

Here is a scenario where the hidden influencer is in play in a potential sale.

You have engaged your prospect and they have expressed an interest in doing business with you. There is a bit work to be done by yourself and your prospect to iron out the details before the sale is made. This not an unusual situation and you agree to meet next in a few days.

Your prospect goes home and during a conversation with a good friend, the subject of the pending purchase comes up. The friend asks how much they are going to pay, and as any good friend would do wants to help your prospect get the best deal. They say that the price is too high and that they know someone who can give a better deal. At that point the hidden influencer’s work is done and the sales has pretty much floated out the window.

The challenge is to mitigate the work of the hidden influencer.

In my experience it is not an easy task to overcome the influence of a good friend. What can work is to anticipate the presence of the hidden influencer with a pre-emptive strategy. Let your prospect know that there are cheaper options out there and emphasise the value that dealing with you brings. You might go as far as recommending to the prospect that they do their due diligence. with the proviso that they offer you the last look before deciding to go with another supplier.

On the other side of the coin, a hidden influencer singing your praises to their friends is a great sales tool to have.

Good selling,
Richard

Have a question about sales? Contact Sakanashi and Associates Inc. and I will respond.

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