Why make selling any harder than it needs to be? Too many salespeople are unaware of what they’re doing that makes it harder to buy from them. Do you ever wonder if your customers like you? The answer might be, “Perhaps not” if you catch yourself doing these things.
Customers like you if you don’t criticize others openly.
I once watched a city councilman ask a gotcha question to a city employee at their weekly council meeting. A gotcha question is one where you know the answer and you believe the answer will embarrass the one who is questioned. You can imagine the embarrassment of the person who was being televised to the community that he didn’t know the answer.
Don’t do what this councilman did. Do not criticize someone in a sales meeting in a way that demonstrates gotcha. I’m not supporting always agreeing with others. There is a way to disagree respectfully. First, think about a private discussion before a meeting where you know the topic will be discussed. That’s what this councilman should have done. It is always better to avoid embarrassing someone publicly.
What also could have happened is that he learned publicly that he was wrong. The person he questioned might have replied, “You’ve misunderstood the situation. Your data is wrong. Here’s what’s accurate.” The councilman would have been embarrassed.
Here’s what you can do to respectfully disagree. Ask a question. Ask in a respectful tone of voice. A question like, “What do you think about X?” opens a dialogue for an area that would uncover a problem with the idea.
They do not like you if you always complain.
I worked with a salesman who contributed complaints at every sales meeting. He even complained at the annual company Christmas party. Can you imagine? I truly can’t remember him ever stating something positive at a sales meeting. I can only imagine that he brought this negativity to his sales calls and customers.
Now imagine this salesman asking a customer for a favor. I’ve known many salespeople who were slightly short of meeting a quarterly or annual sales goal. They asked certain customers to order early or more so the salesman could make his sales goals. I can’t imagine any of this negative salesman’s customers ever saying yes. Don’t be a complainer. No one wants to be with you or help you when you need it.
They do not like you if you always interrupt.
Some people just can’t avoid interrupting others when they speak. They are so certain their ideas are right or more important that they just have to interrupt. I hope that’s not you during a sales call.
You might hear information that is incorrect and think you should interrupt. I rarely say never. In this case, never interrupt a customer who is speaking. It’s rude and it starts the process of people disliking you.
Here’s some advice for those assertive people who tend to interrupt. Realize that’s what you do. Focus on your self-talk of “Patience. Wait. Let them speak.” Cutting off others’ thoughts also disrupts the flow of ideas which is a problem with finding good solutions.
You’ve probably heard that people buy from people they like. That may be true, but it’s not enough. You still have to demonstrate you’re providing value and meeting a customer need to make a sale. Being liked makes it much easier to sell. Why would you do anything that makes a customer not like you?
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