Thebestsalespeopleknowthatsellingcomesdown torelationship building,and doingitquickly.And sincejustabouteverybody resents beinginarelationshipthatfeelsdisingenuous,it’scrucialthatyoudo NOTsoundlikestereotypicalsalespeople. Here areseveralwaystohelpyoulooklikeyouare notcomingoff likea used carseller:
- 1. Put your self-interest on the back burner
Yourgoalistomake quota.Butallthoseproven,consultativesales techniquesyouhave learned willNOTworkunless you putyourself- interestasidewhileyou builda newrelationship.Thisisdue tothe fact that “the innerpartof everypersoncan tellthe differencebetween someonewho isgenuine andsomeone who isnot,”fromDale Carnegie’s philosophy. As salespeople, weneedto stepoutsideof ourown self-interestand communicatefromthecustomer’pointofview.Eventhebestofsales strategieswillseemtransparent,if you are notgenuinelysincere.
2.Listen,listen,listen…80%ofthetime
Whenyou’re buildingarelationship,you’resellingtrust,and trustcomes from“active”listening.Thismeanstaking timetodigestwhat isbeingsaid andputtingaharnessontheurgetoignoreit,andgettingreadytofire backyoursalespitch–thedreadedselloffeatures&benefits.Mostsales peoplethinktheclientconversationisanopportunitytoshowhowmuch theyknowabouttheircompany,the industry orthe product.Thisisdead wrong.Itisatimetoprovetrust,andifyouarelistening80%ofthetime, you’renotsellingbutpurelylearningaboutissues,pains,budget, andthe urgencyto fixproblems.
- 3. Youmust ask the correct questions
Sincesellingisabouthelpingexecutivesmakebuyingdecisions,thebest thingto doisaskquestionstohelpthe discoveryprocess along(free “gifts of Knowledge”). Typical salespeoplewillaskquestionstoqualifytheprospect;ashowmuch budget,when doyouwant it, whereisitbeing signed.Whilethisis necessary,iftheprospectfeelstheyarebeingqualified,theybecome reluctantparticipantsinthesellingevent.It’sthe gradeofquestionsthatseparatestheprofromthenovice,
Use questionsthatdrawoutpain,suchas:
- Canyou tellme aboutthisissuein detail?
- On a scale of 1to 10, how is it affecting you, 10 beingthe worst?
- Howlong hasthis been going on?
- Whathasitcostthecompany?
- Whathave beendonetocorrectthis?
- Whathappensisyou donothing?
- Howyou are personallyimpacted?
What do you do next? Send us an email and we’ll arrange for you to speak with Ed to chat about how these learnings can help build more sales just for your business