HTSS152 - How to disrupt your competition with Bear Traps in sales - Scott Sylvan Bell

Creating a Bear Trap for your competition and sabotage their sales process 

A bear trap is a covert way to “talk trash” on your competition and make the sale an “uphill battle”. When you make the other sales guy or sales girl work harder than they need to it can lead to you selling more. You may call this strategy something else, I had to give a name to it.

What is a bear trap in sales and why do you use them 

Bear traps in sales are a way to lock in an idea. You can use this content as a way to "lock-in" an idea about your competition. One thing to remember is to not make anything up about the competition. A bear trap causes your competition to sell from their heels instead of a straight-up sales process. In essence, you are making your counterparts in sales work harder defending themselves than be able to sell their products or service. You create doubt about talents, skills, capabilities, and acheivements. 

Bear Traps in sales to your advantage

When you build out the conversations you are going to have there are some elements to them. These are not long drawn out explanations to your potential client they are just quick jabs against them. 

• The structure is 3-5 sentences – not too much
• Your interaction should be really calm friend voice / late night dj voice
• When you talk it can be off the cuff – mmmhh / dry sense of humor
• The whole process is a throw away conversation – you cant be too into it
• They may not respond until later – they may come back and ask about your question. If it doesn’t land, let it go
• This is after you have built rapport / not through the door

Start once you have rapport

Salespeople blow this all of the time, they try too hard through the door. When you use a process like this, you have to be in the know, like and trust stage. The buyer doesnt have to trust you just yet. In some instances you may have to say some brazen things, this is why you need rapport

How to build your Bear Trap in sales: Start with a common complaint

You can start once they have a complaint with salespeople, the products and service or something else. If you tell the person without permission it is not as powerful. You start off with stating:

• I bet you want to know why that is… (stop talking)
• I can share with you why, but I cant sugar coat it for you
• You would be surprised at how often companies hire for that reason

Start with their question

Once you have the permission of the buyer you will take what their complaint is an put a negative spin on it.

• Give the weaknesses the competition has and explains it
• Give the weakness of a product, service, and or salespeople
• I will give you the real answer if you want (stop talking)

Use persuasive language

• This is because of…
• The reason why they do this is
• The reason why you may not like it is

Examples:

Buyer: I can't stand these pushy salespeople …..

You: that’s why I don’t work for those types of companies… they have management bearing down on them to close right now…  in fact, you should call them, they would love to have you sit with them for 3 hours and go back and forth with the “manager” to close the deal. I am sure they would like to eat up your afternoon.

 

Why Bear Traps in sales work

Most of the time salespeople go overboard and try to over sell. When you combine the use of common complaints and a well time "jab" at what others do it helps shift the view of the buyer. Your "Reason why" for the buyer becomes their "Reason why" and they don't see it until they give the other sales guy their objection. 

 

What is a bear trap in sales?

If you want to know what a bear trap is in sales you need to know what the weaknesses are in your industry. The way you use these bear traps comes down to a "reason why" scenario. As you get used to your service, industry and your presentation you will find the conversations to have. If you want to learn how to use bear traps in sales you will want to create more topics to have discussions about.