SALES QUOTE
“Trust is the coin of the realm.”
George Shultz, U.S. Secretary of State
For Salespeople…
Trust is also the coin of the sales world. Only, sometimes salespeople trust too much. A recent client worked hard to execute a selling strategy. The customer told him if he could offer a better program than the one he currently has, then he would buy. The salesman did his job. The customer didn’t do his. He just couldn’t change suppliers. The salesman was dejected over this breach of trust and lack of the sale. Did it stop him? No. We discussed another strategy. We had to give the customer a good enough reason to give his supplier on why he was leaving. I developed the message so the customer could gracefully quit one supplier and go to another. Sometimes you have to do that since customers are uncomfortable switching suppliers. What did this salesman learn, too? I had suggested that before he offer his program that he ask the customer again, “If my program is better are you prepared to switch suppliers?” The salesman didn’t ask the question. I find that when you do get a customer to answer that question that it makes it difficult for them to go back on their word to you. So remember to build trust with customers and do all that you can to make sure that you can trust what they say to you, too.
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I’m now writing The Real Deal, a column on women in business for Allbusiness.com Hope you’ll read more ideas so you can achieve your success in business.
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Your Sales Tip
A great website to help sales professionals especially so they can travel light is:
https://www.onebag.com/
You’ll learn new strategies to pack light so you can focus on your business and not be distracted from a poorly planned trip.
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THE SELLING IDEAS FOR THE MONTH
Seems to me there are almost as many different ways to sell successfully as there are salespeople. After all, salespeople are often very creative and are able to generate new ideas for business. Yet, there is one thing that is the same for most salespeople. It’s that they all want to sell more. Here’s my answer to the often-asked question, “How can I sell more?”
1. Ask for referrals to other customers when you do great work for a client. Many salespeople work hard, deliver value to their clients and get compliments for their work. They say. “Thank you” and leave it at that. They have just missed a very valuable selling opportunity. What should they do immediately after receiving a compliment? They should ask for something from their customer in return. A good thing to ask for would be a referral. It’s because of a very powerful behavioral phenomenon known as reciprocity. It means that when we give something to someone they will feel obligated to give something back to us. In this situation, you’ve given the client the gift of good work. He will feel obligated to give something back. That’s the perfect time to ask for a referral so he can give it to you.
2. If you sell many products, make sure you are selling all you can to all of your existing clients. I worked with a salesman who sells a complete range of maintenance products. He sells everything from industrial lubricants, filters and even hand cleaner. He was new to his sales territory and wanted to get some quick sales on the books. What did he do? He called on every existing account and established a working relationship with each customer. He then asked all of his customers if they were buying everything they could from him. He offered to walk through the storeroom and make a list of all their maintenance items. Then he provided a list where he cross-referenced each item to the type of product he sold. He even made an order sheet that made it easy for his customers to order from him since he organized similar products together. You can imagine what happened. His customers first commented on how easy it was to order and then they ordered a lot more products from him.
3. Be clear about who your ideal prospects are. Too many sales people think they’re calling on a prospect and it’s just not the case. If you waste less time on prospects who really aren’t going to buy—or at least buy in the time frame to reach your sales goals—you can free up some sales time to focus on customers who will buy. One easy way to define your ideal prospect is to look at your last 10 or more sales. Develop criteria to score each account. You could look at deal size, job title of the person you called on, industry, size of firm or other criteria. You might learn that you sell more effectively to smaller accounts. Maybe custom requests are your strong suit. Learn what you are successful at and go after more business like it. Then commit to passing on business that looks different from your ideal prospect. Ideal customers are easier to sell to. You’ll sell more if you focus on them.
4. Tap into your existing network of business contacts to ask for introductions to the prospects you are trying to reach. You’ll shorten your sales cycle. Now that you know who you’re looking to sell, get to these customers as quickly as possible. The best way is to be able to ask people who know you and your work for an introduction to this new customer. Start with your customers. After all, they do know you well and appreciate your work. Don’t stop with them. Sales is not a nine to five job. You should spend time at trade association meetings, in volunteer organizations or other business groups where you can meet other professionals who can help you meet prospects. Find out what trade organizations your customers join. Go to meetings and get involved. What are your interests? Are you interested in education? Join the school board. If it’s sports, join a club. Get out and meet professional people. They just might help you sell.
5. Make sure you keep your word for everything you say. In sales, what you really are selling is your credibility. Lose that and you quickly lose any chance of increasing sales. The easiest way to sell is to have other people recommend you to others. In the world of business, people talk. They share horror stories and the wonderful stories. Just make sure that you’re in the wonderful ones. Unreliable salespeople get reputations that make it very difficult to build their business. You want to sell more? Let your good reputation precede you.
Selling more can be a challenge for some salespeople. When you do a better job of focusing and leveraging your time and contacts, not only will you sell more, you’ll find it much easier to sell, too.
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Action Items
1. Set a goal for asking for referrals each week.
2. Review your customer list to make sure you are selling all you can to each customer.
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Programs
What: Master Selling:
Persuasion Strategies, Strategic Questions, Laser Listening, Optional: Strategy/ Territory Management
Build your sales skills foundation to sell more now.
When: Thursday July 29, 2010, August 5, 2010. August 12, 2010, August 19, 2010
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
For more information: 972-985-3749 or 972-985-3758
What: Effective Meetings
Run a meeting where people show up on time and participate to produce results.
When: Friday July 30, 2010
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
For more information: 972-985-3749 or 972-985-3758
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DID YOU KNOW?
A study from the Sam Walton School of Business found that the quality of pos-sales technical support was the most influential factor driving customer loyalty. This loyalty in turn, was the most influential factor driving as much as 20 percent of a technology company’s revenue and profit. Customer Interaction Solutions
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Here are some selling tools to help you sell more now. Click on the photo to find out more!
Sales Quotes: A book that has quick ideas for you to be more successful in sales. Real-World Selling: A book with selling skills and strategies that work in the real world of sales. Secrets of Persuasion: Audio CD for the clues to use to speed-read people and close more business.