“I Don’t Want to Be Pushy”

I don’t want to be pushy.

I hear this A LOT, and there’s a very BIG difference between being pushy and being persistent.

So, I’m going to break down the difference between being pushy versus being persistent to help people like you who may identify with the following statements:

I am someone who doesn’t want to be pushy.

I am someone who doesn’t want to be an aggressive salesperson.

I am someone who wants to be different from the other forceful people the homeowner experiences in the sales process.

I want to WIN business by providing quality service because I don’t want to be pushy.

Sometimes, I lose deals because people say they want to get three estimates, someone else can do it cheaper, or they want to shop around.

I leave the house after giving amazing service because I end up shifting into “nice guy” or “nice gal” mode, leaving my business card — and I end up getting ghosted.

If that sounds like you and you want to close more deals without being pushy, this is for you. I’m going to:

1. Break down the three big differences between being pushy and being persistent.
2. Help you change your mindset.
3. Give you some tactics to use to close more deals without being pushy or sleazy.

Before we jump in, I first want to say a quick welcome or welcome back. Adam Bensman, here, The Roof Strategist. Everything I do here is designed to help you and your team smash your income goals and give every customer an amazing experience.

To do that, we need to serve our customers without having them feel like they’re being forced into a decision.

Now, I’m covering this topic because:

• I’ve recently conducted training for a very large retail company.
• Their team has a really BIG resistance to feeling pushy.
• Their tactics have not empowered them to stay in the house because they don’t want to come across as being pushy.
• They’re LOSING deals to competitors for a lot of common objections.

So, let’s get to the bottom of this right now and break it all down.

Difference #1: “Pushy” Sells, Persistent Provides.

Pushy means selling, not providing. Providing is being persistent, and selling is being pushy.

Now, I recently posted a quote on Instagram from Todd Duncan’s book called, High-Trust Selling. In it, he explains that the key to selling is NOT selling — the key to selling is providing and knowing what to provide.

So, the difference between selling and providing happens in the house. With selling:

• You’re given a word-for-word script.
• You have to follow the entire thing and cram this down the homeowner’s throat.
• Hopefully, they’ll buy from you.
• There’s no deviation whatsoever.

You may have experienced this at the end of a sales appointment, especially in retail, when you’ve finished your whole spiel and the homeowner says something like:

• Thanks for coming out. We actually just need an estimate because we’re putting the house on the market. That’s when you find out that they’re looking for the cheapest roof.
• Hey, thanks for coming out. You know what? We just need to get a few estimates because we know that we have to replace our roof in five to seven years. We’re just planning ahead financially. That’s when you realize that you’ve just been selling the entire time, instead of providing.

That’s why I teach the CAR PARK Formula in my sales system. With that strategy, you can figure out where the customer’s at in the process, whether it’s storm or retail.

So, the difference, again, between being pushy and persistent is really about whether you’re selling or providing. And:

1. It takes patience to be persistent.
2. We need to slow down and ask more questions, so we can provide the right information.

Difference #2: “Pushy” Forces, Instead Asks.

Piggybacking off of the first tip, pushy people are FORCEFUL. In fact, pushy salespeople will typically try to:

• Make a decision on behalf of someone else.
• Be convincing in “superficial” ways, like saying, “We’re the BEST!”
• Use high-pressure tactics.

They don’t ask questions, like:

• What is it you’d like to think about, so I can leave you with the right information?
• How will you and your wife make a decision?
• What’s your biggest concern?
• What’s the most important thing to you?

When we finally get that homeowner to share all their information, we can address it. So, again:

1. Persistence means providing the right information while being pushy means forcefully selling.
2. Doing a great job and taking care of that customer means asking lots of questions, being patient, and providing as much information as possible to help them make the decision to choose you.

Difference #3: “Pushy” Uses the Hard, Early Close.

This is a very dated philosophy of closing, in my opinion, using the early, hard close. I don’t teach to ask for the business in my sales system until it’s appropriate. That’s because I’ve coached and audited sales teams, training tens of thousands of reps at roofing companies (and in other high-ticket sales spaces all across the world).

When I was a direct response copywriter and consultant, I found that:

1. People who tried to close prematurely would get a hard “NO,” with the door closed behind them because it felt pushy.
2. If someone has questions and you’re going in for the early, hard close, they are going to feel PRESSURE. And they’re probably going to say “no.”

So, we need to get to a point where we know it’s appropriate to ask for those next steps. If you do it prematurely:

• Your chance of getting a “no” is much higher.
• They become like a cat in their corner, and they’re likely done with you.

Again, going in too early and hard is TOO PUSHY whereas being persistent means:

• Learning how to continue the sales dialogue
• Knowing the appropriate time to go back into close.

Now, let’s tie these three differences together to figure out how we can provide helpful information by:

• Continuing the dialogue and keeping the conversation going
• Following up and asking questions
• Getting the follow-up appointment to come back and review everything with the homeowner
• Making it ALL ABOUT THEM.

You can even say something like:

I’ll be the question punching bag. I’ll answer ALL the questions that you might have.

I’ll review EVERYTHING with you side by side.

When is a good time for me to come back so we can continue the process of making a decision on the roofer for you?

That’s continuing the sales process and moving it forward. That’s NOT pushy. That’s persistent.

If they reject you, just say, “Hey, let’s stick to a phone call.” You’re still continuing and progressing with the sale.

Now, this is a BIG mindset shift that I hope will help you:

1. Go from selling to providing.
2. Shift from forcing to asking.
3. Move from closing too hard, too early, and too often to continuing and progressing the sale through persistence.
4. Find a more appropriate time to close, walk out with that deal, and, most importantly, have a happy customer.

That’s what it’s ALL about at the end of the day — helping you and your team smash your income goal and give every customer an AMAZING experience.

Want More Roofing Sales? Or Training For Your Team?

We’ve helped thousands of sales reps overcome the same sales challenges you’re probably facing. Like not getting enough leads, getting stuck on objections, or not closing sales in the house.

Learn how we can help you:

• Get trained up in a lightning-fast 9.5 hours
• Self-generate more leads
• Become a confident closer

Pick a time for your 1-on-1 demo.

Or use the links below to get instant access, 100% Risk Free! Backed by our 30-Day ‘NO BS’ Money Back Guarantee.

For your sales team?

Individual sales rep?

Thanks for joining me, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the next blog.