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Do you know a salesperson who never seems able to close a deal, no matter how hard they try? They may be very outgoing, they may have more product knowledge than the engineers, and they may be tossing around discounts left and right, but they are missing out on some of the keys of selling in a modern market. Inc. Magazine recently had a good article that detailed a few critical mistakes that young salespeople often make. Here are a few more tips from my personal experience.
1. Shut up. Your prospect is the important one in any sales call. They should do most of the talking. Most communications experts agree that one key to building trust in any relationship is to listen before you talk. Asking open-ended questions and keeping a lid on it allows the prospect to share information with you, which a) creates a bond, and b) helps you figure out how you are best able to help this person.
2. Sell a relationship, not a product. The goal is to sell yourself and your company, not your product. If you engage your prospect as a human being, learn things about them (not in a psycho-stalker way though) and make realistic promises and always over-deliver (as a friend would), you will have a repeat customer for life.
3. Most great sales are a marathon. Sales are not a sprint. Strong business relationships, like strong personal relationships, are not made overnight. I find the most effective strategy is to start out small with a new customer, especially one who is timid about switching suppliers. Sell them something great and inexpensive, then call them after they’ve had time to use it and ask them how it’s working out for them. Inform them that, if there is anything they need, you are only a phone call away.
What habits and tips do you find useful when trying to make sales? Can you name any other mistakes people make when courting a prospect?
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Comments
01.29.09
Nice post, very spot on. As part of number on, so many sales people confuse "telling" with "selling".
Also the other big failure, not asking for the sale. I have found that many Gen Y sales people I work with, fear rejection, and will do anything to avoid asking the customer to buy.
01.29.09
Thanks, Jimmy. I totally agree about not asking for the sale. Usually a Gen Y salesperson is dealing with prospects twice their age, which can be a bit intimidating. The key is to not take it personally, and figure out how you can show them more value in the future.
01.29.09
All valid points. I especially agree with the marathon statement. It took me 3 years of making contact before my (now) best client ever ordered from me. I knew that they had a supplier, but I also knew that we provide better service. Once their supplier screwed up - we were the first call they made.
Don't give up easily. It can take 7 - 10 attempts before a prospect will give you the time of day.
It's also paramount to let your prospect see what's in it for them. What is the advantage to them of buying your product/service from you versus your competitor?
01.29.09
A-I-D-A. Get out there - you got the prospects coming in. You think the came in to get out of the rain? A guy don't walk on the lot lest he wants to buy. They're sitting out there waiting to give you their money. Are you gonna take it? Are you man enough to take it?
01.29.09
@Kimberly
That's awesome! Sounds like you were the quintessence of relationship-based selling with the 3-year client. Most of the time "no" actually just means "not yet," and you will never know if you give up on that prospect.
@Tim
I agree completely. When someone is shopping, they are showing they are ready to buy. Many people don't shop for products these days, they shop for companies. Find out what they need, then prove why you are the best one to give it to them.
01.29.09
David....great post... one of the biggest mistakes I see our account executives make is they "product vomit". They don't take time to ask 2 level questions and tie it back into how that's relevant to the prospects objection. The best advice for our sales people is just keep it simple.
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