August 2023 - 11

strange faces. They've never seen me;
I've never seen them. What we'll work
on is finding me the three or four
jurors that understand accounting or
finance because of their job. You know
what they do for a living, those are the
people that I speak to, those are the
ones I try to make eye contact with.
They're the ones who, if I do my job
effectively, will take what I've sold to
them and then go back into the jury
room and sell it to the other jurors. "
For the rep selling convenience
services, it is important to take note
of the members of the prospect's
purchasing team who are clearly
excited about your program. Ideally,
it is the CEO who wandered into your
meeting to taste your dark roasted
coffee - and loved it. Or that member
of the employee committee who is
enamored with your ability to deliver
healthy selections. These are people
you must turn into allies, and
hopefully, they will sell your program
for you, either on the spot or during
the group decision-making process.
RESPOND TO OBJECTIONS
For Ackerman, cross-examination is
the ultimate sales objection exercise.
" What you can't control is crossexamination.
I have no idea what the
opposing attorney is going to ask me
about. Yes, I know because of the facts
of the case, what I would anticipate
they might have asked me about, and
so I try to prepare to make sure that
I have candid responses, effective
responses, for things that might be
pitfalls for me, " he said.
" Sometimes your product has a
potential weakness, " said Ackerman.
" Well, sometimes my opinions have
a potential weakness, and you need
to be able to address that weakness,
because people aren't stupid - they are
going to find the weakness, and they
are going to highlight it. You need to
be able to address it in a short, concise
and constructive manner so that it
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minimizes what others were perceiving
as a weakness. "
That process should sound familiar
to sales reps. Examples - strengths
and weaknesses of single-cup brewers.
Strengths and weaknesses of cold brew
coffee - keg compared to bag in box.
Strengths and weaknesses of kiosks,
as opposed to phone apps. How about
the fundamental comparison of micro
market strengths versus vending
strengths. Depending on which side
of the table you are sitting on, like
Ackerman, you must be prepared in
advance to deal with the objections.
SOME VALUABLE LESSONS
What did we learn from Ackerman in
the podcast? He provides lessons for
anyone in sales. The importance of
preparation, knowing your product
and material, doing your research,
understanding your audience, being
prepared to overcome objections and
knowing what the customer needs to
hear to ultimately decide that your
product, service and solution is the
right choice. ■
About the author
VendingMarketWatch.com
contributing editor and
industry consultant Bob
Tullio is a content specialist
who advises operators in
the convenience services
industry on how to build a
successful business from
the ground up and advises suppliers on
how to successfully connect with operators.
Tullio's YouTube channel, b2b Perspective,
is designed to " elevate your business in
two minutes. " Visit www.tulliob2b.com or
email bob@tulliob2b.com.
http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com http://www.tulliob2b.com http://www.laigroup.com http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com
August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2023
