Are you a Rainmaker Sales Professional?
Notice I used "Professional", and not "novice" or "hobbyist"... Someone who relies on selling a particular product, service, idea, or solution as a means to generate a majority of their income, and is committed to further developing that specific skill to become more effective.
If so, stop what you are doing for a moment, and think back to the last sales opportunity that did not go your way...
Did we just evoke some painful memories?
What happened?
At what point did the prospect or current Client's eyes completely glaze over and totally withdraw from the conversation?
It is often hard to self-diagnose why or where the process truly broke down and even harder to address the areas that are holding you back from being more effective.
We have a identified a few ideas to remember during your next Client sales interaction:
-People buy for their reasons not yours.
-Know who you are talking to. Customers can have a variety of different behavioral styles and motivations. Making the same type of sales pitch to everyone will invariably alienate a good majority of your prospective Clients.
-Listen for road blocks and address them with the prospect, failure to do so will stop the sales process dead in its tracks.
-The buyer is the closer, create an environment favorable for them to close the deal.
-Analyze the major areas of the sales process. Is there a specific point at which the process breaks down? (ie. Prospecting, Qualifying, First Impression, Delivery, Closing, etc.) If so, a great step would be to look at some sales skills professional development opportunities to address those specific areas limiting your potential.
-Check out Paul Castain's Sales Playbook for some additional sales tips.
Telling isn't Selling... With today's sophisticated buyer and increased competition in the marketplace, it is critical for effective sales professionals to be aware of a buyer’s style and motivations and create differentiation.
