The "Mirroring" Technique: How to Connect With Difficult Buyers

Selling to a difficult buyer can turn a productive discussion into a real fight quickly. A skeptical prospect can ask many questions and refute all your statements. An impatient buyer becomes too defensive, and an uncommunicative one gives little information about the actual needs. Such a situation cannot be solved through talking.

At times, you have to listen more carefully.

The mirroring technique in sales is a simple technique that helps salespeople convince buyers to explain their thoughts, objections, and worries in detail. The salesperson repeats a few words of the buyer without replying right away.

Applied correctly, mirroring will help salespeople to make buyers feel listened to and will give them valuable information about the factors that influence the purchase decision.

What is the Mirroring Technique in Sales?

In order to use the mirroring technique, the salesperson should repeat a certain fragment of a buyer's statement. The salesperson chooses some phrase and repeats it using a neutral and curious tone of voice.

The buyer could express concern about the implementation schedule.

Instead of explaining right away how quickly the company can implement the project, the salesperson says: "The implementation timeline?" Then he pauses.

This short response gives the buyer a chance to explain himself. He may say that their contract ends in three months, that the internal team has limited resources or that a previous implementation was very bad.

The effectiveness of mirroring lies in its simplicity. There is no need for the salesperson to construct a complex question. He only has to repeat an important fragment of a buyer's statement.

Mirroring is not the reproduction of someone's behavior, accent, personality, or whole phrases. In the process of selling, mirroring can be verbal, subtle and purposeful.

Why Mirroring Works With Difficult Buyers

Tough buyers tend to share incomplete information. They may claim that they are not interested in the deal, that they do not like the price, or they may complain about the previous provider, etc. The statement itself does not always tell the true reason for reluctance.

Mirroring can help tough buyers go further into details.

When the salesperson mirrors the buyer's significant phrases, they show that they are listening carefully. This can make the dialogue more engaging because it will revolve around what the buyer has said, not the prepared sales dialogue.

A prospect might tell you, “We’re hesitant because we can’t afford another expensive mistake.”

The salesperson can respond immediately and start to explain the advantages of their product or its success rate. At the same time, mirroring the phrase "expensive mistake" gives the possibility to get some information about what went wrong before.

Then the buyer can elaborate on the problem: they may say that the former vendor could not deliver, that the costs were higher than expected or that the solution did not live up to our expectations.

Now the salesperson has something to build on.

That is why the mirroring technique used in sales conversations is particularly effective with skeptical buyers. It allows you to get past the buyer's resistance without arguing with it.

How to Use the Mirroring Technique With Difficult Buyers

Identify the Buyer's Key Words

The mirroring technique is based on active listening. You should not repeat everything that the buyer says to you. Listen to which phrases tell you something special about the buyer.

This can be something related to:

• Risk

• Cost

• Frustration

• Timing

• Experiences with previous providers

• Internal issues

• Business priorities

• Expectations

For instance, the buyer says, “We’re frustrated with vendors who promise one thing and deliver something entirely different.”

In this case, the most significant phrase is not "vendors". It is "promising one thing and delivering something completely different".

A salesperson can mirror it in such a way: "Delivering something completely different?"

Repeat the Important Phrase

Once you identify a meaningful phrase in the statement, keep the mirror short.

When the buyer says, "Our biggest problem is that our team will not have enough time to handle another complicated system," you do not need to restate the whole phrase.

You might say:

"Another complicated system?"

The reason is that you need to emphasize the part of the statement that requires discussion. Your tone of voice is also important. Mirroring must not sound sarcastic or confrontational, but curious. You are trying to persuade the buyer to speak more about the issue.

Pause and Let the Buyer Explain

The pause after your statement is one of the key elements of mirroring.

A lot of sales representatives feel awkward when there is silence between them and the buyer, and they rush to continue talking right away. They might try to explain the benefits of the product or answer any questions regarding its price. But you shouldn't do that.

After you state, "Another complicated system?" give the buyer a chance to speak.

Sometimes this silence makes prospects reveal additional information. This information could be extremely helpful in sales talks when there are some problems.

Follow Their Response

Mirroring is not an independent method of persuasion. It works together with other tools that help you sell.

Once the buyer explains why they need a solution to this problem, you should listen to their answer. It will tell you what to say next.

You may explore the amount of time wasted previously, the team affected by the previous software and what the buyer would like to change this time.

Mirroring Examples for Common Difficult Buyer Situations

When the Buyer Is Skeptical

An example of a doubt-related objection can be: "We have tried solutions like this one in the past, and they never worked."

Rather than giving reasons for why your offering is good right away, you can reflect:

"They never worked?"

And the buyer will explain why those solutions failed in the past.

It may be due to poor adoption rates, rushed implementation, or lack of support from the previous vendor. Mirroring enables the salesperson to address a real objection rather than a hypothetical one.

When the Buyer Questions the Cost

Price-related objections may have nothing to do with price alone.

In case a buyer objects, saying something like: "This is much more expensive than we expected." You may think that you should offer a discount right away. But you can reflect instead:

"This is much more expensive than you expected?"

Then the buyer will clarify why they think this way – maybe because they had another price range in mind, or because some features were not supposed to be paid separately.

So, the conversation will shift to the issue of perceived value of the offer.

When the Buyer is Frustrated

Consider a buyer saying that they have struggled with the problem for months, but no one understood their needs until now.

A usual reaction is trying to prove how much better your company is compared to others. But here is how you can use mirroring instead:

"Nobody understood what you needed until now?"

Letting the buyer explain what is missing in other offers makes them feel that they are being heard.

When the Buyer Gives Short Answers

Some prospects will reply briefly with things like "We're okay," "Nothing particular," or "We're only looking around."

Instead of immediately jumping into your pitch, try to pick out any meaningful phrases.

If your buyer says something like "We're just taking a look at what's available," you can ask something like:

"What's available?"

This simple mirror can help the buyer realize whether they are looking into the vendors, preparing for some project in the future, comparing prices, or considering making a purchase.

The aim here is not to force your buyer to speak. The aim is to give them an opportunity to do so easily.

Mistakes In Mirroring Techniques To Avoid

The mirroring technique used by the seller becomes highly effective when it seems natural to the conversation. However, excessive use can lead to a negative result.

First of all, don't repeat everything your buyers say. This will create an impression that the conversation sounds robotic, and the prospect will feel that he is being dealt with in a manipulative way.

Next, avoid mirroring emotionally tinted phrases with an emotional undertone. For example, don't mock and aggravate the buyer who said something angry.

Do not try to fill any silence after mirroring immediately. If you asked about the expected implementation timeline, And if you immediately provided an answer, the buyer would lose the chance to share their perspective.

Finally, don't be so involved in using the technique that you will stop listening to the buyer.

Conclusion: Use Mirroring to Understand, Not Manipulate

Not all difficult buyers require a more convincing sales pitch. Some need time and an opportunity to tell why they are holding back.

Mirroring in sales offers a straightforward approach to creating such an opportunity. By identifying key words, reflecting a short phrase, pausing and waiting for a response, salespeople can discover problems underlying the objections raised.

Mirroring will be especially useful with a doubtful, frustrated, price-sensitive, and withholding buyer. But for the technique to work, it has to be done without any ulterior motives.

The purpose of mirroring is not manipulation, but better comprehension of the person you are talking to.

If salespeople are attentive enough to repeat a phrase the buyer uses, difficult negotiations can turn into understanding and productive dialogue.

Call-to-Action

For anyone that wants any further guidance, ClickAcademy Asia is exactly what you need. Join our class in Singapore and enjoy up to 70% government funding. Our courses are also Skills Future Credit Claimable and UTAP, PSEA and SFEC approved. Find out more information and sign up here.  (https://www.clickacademyasia.com/course/sales-communication-mastery).