How good a sales professional are you? You may be a legend in your own mind, but it takes monumental effort to be a great sales person. The more you do it, the better you get at it. The better you get at it, the easier it becomes, until eventually you’re so good it just seems natural. That’s the key to being a great sales professional. It’s in your mind set.
Think for a moment of the worst sales experience you’ve ever had. Think about the disinterested bank teller who casually blurted out your meager account balances so people in the next province could hear. Think about all those nightmare encounters with disinterested, poorly trained people mistakenly hired to deal with other humans.
You certainly don’t want to be those people. But what makes a great sales professional?
Stand in your customer’s shoes for a moment. See what he sees—the image may not be as flattering as you would like to believe.
For starters, do you waste a lot of time in a sales presentation? When you meet prospective customers, do you get to the point or do you try to involve them in every aspect of your life? I’ve met salespeople who whined about having to pay bills and feed their kids, in an attempt to guilt me into buying. Such sales people reinforce my impression that the bar is not that high—in fact, it’s so low that a rodent would have a hard time doing the limbo under it.
As a customer, I’m looking for a solution to my problem which may or may not be in the goods and services being offered. I am not looking to acquire more dependents, or to listen to someone else’s problems with paying bills and rising costs.
Also, I don’t mind a friendly smile and hello, but then leave me alone. I’ll call when I need you. I don’t need someone hovering over me like a store detective. Are you needy as a sales professional, relying on sympathy, or do you let the utility of the product or service serve as the foundation of a strong sales proposition?
Do you waste time or do you sell to motivated buyers? It takes a sales professional to distinguish between true customers and tire-kickers. Learn to distinguish the real possibilities from those with nothing better to do.
Do you provide your customers with useful information tailored to their needs? Or do you weigh them down with useless features that they aren’t the least bit interested in? Customers buy a product or service to satisfy a need. Some salespeople titillate in order to attract customers, but I prefer a sales professional who sells based on facts. If they do their job properly and are adequately trained, they have already identified their model customers.
If I meet their customer criteria, then they’ll go to the next phase of the sales presentation. If for any reason I don’t meet their model, then they’ll pat me on the head and head for the next prospective customer. They just won’t waste time on people who are not going to buy, because they know that their own time is valuable.
Know your audience. Do you sell to everyone, hoping that there’s a live one in the bunch? Or do you zoom in on your best leads? Determine what your model customer wants, and what she is willing to spend to meet that desire. Your time costs, so aim carefully and set your sights on real buyers.
When you look in the mirror, do you look like someone from whom you might make a purchase? If you’re selling high-end financial planning, do you dress in Goodwill chic? Attempt to look professional—don’t hit the showroom floor without a second thought to personal deportment.
Your customers are concerned about their needs, not your self-esteem. Listen to them, rather than singing your own praises. All the best!
Sid Karmazyn, Chartered Accountant
905.771.3813
skca@idirect.com