Acquisition remains a thing, this sentence can be interpreted in two ways. It is a necessary tool to acquire new customers. At the same time, it remains a hateful subject that many salespeople would rather stay away from.
I myself regularly run into my internal wall with objections regarding acquiring. And I am certainly not alone in this. 39% of salespeople indicate that they have difficulty making acquisitions. And this does not distinguish between cold and or warm acquisition. Many salespeople have difficulty initiating and consistently executing acquisition.
39% of salespeople report difficulty making acquisitions.
Many salespeople struggle in the acquisition process, especially when faced with rejection. Everyone knows that if you make a number of phone calls you will hear ‘no’ a number of times. The person who approaches you is not open to an appointment or serves you off in the friendly way with the phrase “please send an email with information.” The rejection is experienced by too many salespeople as personal. ‘It's just me’ or the thought ‘you see I can't do it’ feeds in. It is often confirmation of the pre-occupied objection ‘people are not waiting for me’.
Yet all these salespeople then forget all the moments when success can be measured. Companies and potential customers who are open to an appointment. Where it is possible to set a hook based on a current problem. Acquisition is the first seed that the salesperson plants from which, in time, a long-term cooperation can develop.
We initiate such initial steps toward the target audience, of course, using marketing, both through social media and on our own website. But at the same time, that is a reactive form of connecting. It is waiting for a lead. In acquisition, you are proactively approaching potential customers.
You're doing more or less the same thing Steve Jobs once did with the introduction of the IPad. You didn't know you needed it yet until he introduced it. It's the same way with acquisition, the customer doesn't know yet that you have a solution to his challenge until you tell him. You find out about the problem by connecting and asking the right questions.
the customer does not yet know that you have a solution to his challenge until you tell him about it
Make acquisition your thing. See it as an opportunity to make a difference within your organization and that of your clients.
In the next article titled ‘Acquisition as a Means of Success,’ I will soon share more about things you can consider in order to acquire more successfully.
