(By Loyd Ford) Everyone likes to win, but everyone doesn’t like to work. Well, sales is work, my friend. It’s often what happens when others are not looking or when they are binge watching the latest Netflix exclusive. The killers are busy planning your decline.
-Are you ready to fight back?
-Are you ready to add to your client list?
-Are you ready to see your sales grow?
Come on in. The water’s fine. Here are 7 things you can avoid and 7 ways to get on top of any market in sales.
- Giving prospects control of the conversation and direction of your meeting. He (or she) who controls the narrative wins. Your job as a seller is to show up on a mission. Your mission should be to help the client and clients don’t always know what they want or need. That’s your job. Notice it isn’t your job to tell them it is always your product. You are supposed to help them. Do this consistently and your sales grow and grow. You are there to ask questions and take the client on a journey, so you understand the problems they are facing and hopefully provide the best solution. If you let them take you on a journey, you’ve just wasted everyone’s time. Come prepared (see #2 below) and do the work necessary to be compelling and share important information that leads to real solutions for your client.
- Not being prepared for a sales call. Oh, you know what I mean. A salesperson shows up and doesn’t know the first thing about the business or the business owner. They don’t know the goal. They don’t understand the competition. They don’t actually know what the customer is talking about when they begin to speak about their troubles. This may be the worst sin. The more you know in advance, the better off you are to make the sale, improve the relationship and grow your business. Research them and their industry before you call. Talk to others in the industry. Research the tools at their disposal. I say it all the time: When is the battle often won? Before the first shot is fired!
Get up earlier, call, engage and connect in unusual times, especially early in the day. They don’t say ‘the early bird catches the worm’ for nothing. Be open to changing normal patterns and making your engagement more fun and energetic, but never forget to bring value with every interaction. This will help you matter more to your clients and potential clients in summer and all year long. - Not setting up proper expectations for the potential client. Contrary to what you may hear, sales aren’t about killing your client and eating what you hunt. It is about helping people solve very real problems. The very best sellers don’t see themselves as sellers at all; they are consultants who assist advertisers in making the best decisions to get the results the client needs. If you don’t set the right expectations up-front, you’ll end up with a confused buyer or someone who will soon be unhappy with you and your product. Being honest about what your product will and won’t do up-front will go a long way to helping you build the right client relationship for the long-term.
- Not asking questions and listening. Why are some bartenders better than others? They listen. Why do some actors and actresses get our ultimate respect? Because they listen. Why are there some sellers who are just light years ahead of all the others? They listen. This business – sales – is about listening and knowing when to react. When you don’t invest the time to get to know and understand your clients on a micro level, you lose. And they lose.
- You don’t stand out. For some reason, we are in a business about communication and branding and almost no one in sales sees the need to build a reputation as someone local business leaders, business owners and others see as a must know individual because of your expertise. How do you brand yourself as a seller? How do you stand apart from other sellers? If you are not thinking about this, you are just like everyone else. (Look up commodity and see what that’s worth).
- Being pushy. Literally no one likes an A-hole. You know this. Why would it be different in any business where people buy from people they like? People go out of their way to avoid loud, over the top salespeople (and those who clearly don’t listen). People notice when your goal is different than theirs. Being too pushy, too aggressive kills more sales deals than you can imagine.
- Sucking at follow-up. I don’t want to be down on salespeople, but most suck at follow-up. This literally means that if you make follow-up one of your highest priorities, you will stand out. If you don’t, you’ll be a low expectation just like your competitors.
You can be better than 98.5% (or more) of the selling population. Start with the 7 above…but add your own knowledge to it. It’s time to be somebody in sales that clients don’t want to live without.
Loyd Ford is president and chief strategic officer at Rainmaker Pathway Consulting Works (RPC). Reach Loyd at 864.448.4169 or [email protected].
