Win More Sales by Sharing Instead of Selling
Win More Sales by Sharing Instead of Selling
Have you considered sharing instead of selling? Yes, I know that this violates one of the basic rules in selling – Do not give anything away – especially if you are delivering services. First, we need to come to an agreement of what is sharing.
Share comes from an Anglo-Saxen word, sceran, meaning to cut. Now consider in the process of sharing you are cutting a small piece from your knowledge and giving it to someone else. You are not sharing your all of your knowledge, but just enough to make that person hungry for more. Also by taking this action, you are demonstrating empathy and authenticity. Both of these traits are critical in relationship selling.
To better help you understand this concept of sharing, imagine for a moment that you are a baker of breads. You have a several types of bread in your bakery along with some day old bread. The day old bread is all of your accumulated knowledge (business acumen). Sharing day old bread does not cost you anything. Now, the freshly baked bread that is something else. Here there is a direct cost. By sharing a slice from this bread will literally cost you some money.
Someone comes into your bakery and you share some day old bread. Through your engaging conversation you believe that the buyer of your bread is qualified, Now this potential qualified customer (a.k.a. potential qualified prospect) asks for some more, but you are not sure if she is willing to pay for the entire loaf of one of your prize, award winning breads. So, you share a piece from that loaf. This sharing demonstrates the quality of what you do and helps to further establish that relationship where you can become the trusted advisor.
After eating this prizing winning sample, the buyer and you come to an agreement not only for this loaf, but for several more loafs to be delivered on a regular basis. As your new customer leaves your bakery, she bumps into a friend and quite excitedly tells her friend all about your “sharing” and how you “never sold her.”
This scenario demonstrates that when we adopt a sales sharing attitude what we are really doing is educating our those around us from suspect to qualified potential customers to centers of influence. We have the opportunity to be viewed as trusted advisors, sources of excellent sales and business knowledge.
Another way to think of this word is to identify 5 critical behaviors when you actually share:
S = Sacrifice in that you are willing to give something up to receive something in return
H = Helpful in that you are willing to help first and foremost and not focused on the making the sale
A = Authentic in that you are who you are at all times with all people
R = Responsive and reliable in that you immediately respond to their needs and do what you say you are going to do
E = Empathic in that you truly listen to their needs and look to make an emotional connection with your potential client
Sales Coaching Tip: To become that trusted advisor, consider stop using those sales skills focused on selling what you do and start developing those sales skills by sharing what you know and how you can help your potential customers without thinking about selling your products and services. You may wish to learn more about education based marketing because sales people who truly know how to share are no longer embracing the traditional and, I believe, outdated sales based marketing approach.
Win More Sales by Sharing Instead of Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.
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Sales professionals need to sell their products and services in order to earn a living. However, in today’s global driven marketplace, selling is a challenge because of the Internet to the current economy to all those negative belief about pushy sales folks. So what is a poor sales professional supposed to do?
Have you considered sharing instead of selling? Yes, I know that this violates one of the basic rules in selling – Do not give anything away – especially if you are delivering services. First, we need to come to an agreement of what is sharing.
Share comes from an Anglo-Saxen word, sceran, meaning to cut. Now consider in the process of sharing you are cutting a small piece from your knowledge and giving it to someone else. You are not sharing your all of your knowledge, but just enough to make that person hungry for more. Also by taking this action, you are demonstrating empathy and authenticity. Both of these traits are critical in relationship selling.
To better help you understand this concept of sharing, imagine for a moment that you are a baker of breads. You have a several types of bread in your bakery along with some day old bread. The day old bread is all of your accumulated knowledge (business acumen). Sharing day old bread does not cost you anything. Now, the freshly baked bread that is something else. Here there is a direct cost. By sharing a slice from this bread will literally cost you some money.
Someone comes into your bakery and you share some day old bread. Through your engaging conversation you believe that the buyer of your bread is qualified, Now this potential qualified customer (a.k.a. potential qualified prospect) asks for some more, but you are not sure if she is willing to pay for the entire loaf of one of your prize, award winning breads. So, you share a piece from that loaf. This sharing demonstrates the quality of what you do and helps to further establish that relationship where you can become the trusted advisor.
After eating this prizing winning sample, the buyer and you come to an agreement not only for this loaf, but for several more loafs to be delivered on a regular basis. As your new customer leaves your bakery, she bumps into a friend and quite excitedly tells her friend all about your “sharing” and how you “never sold her.”
This scenario demonstrates that when we adopt a sales sharing attitude what we are really doing is educating our those around us from suspect to qualified potential customers to centers of influence. We have the opportunity to be viewed as trusted advisors, sources of excellent sales and business knowledge.
Another way to think of this word is to identify 5 critical behaviors when you actually share:
S = Sacrifice in that you are willing to give something up to receive something in return
H = Helpful in that you are willing to help first and foremost and not focused on the making the sale
A = Authentic in that you are who you are at all times with all people
R = Responsive and reliable in that you immediately respond to their needs and do what you say you are going to do
E = Empathic in that you truly listen to their needs and look to make an emotional connection with your potential client
Sales Coaching Tip: To become that trusted advisor, consider stop using those sales skills focused on selling what you do and start developing those sales skills by sharing what you know and how you can help your potential customers without thinking about selling your products and services. You may wish to learn more about education based marketing because sales people who truly know how to share are no longer embracing the traditional and, I believe, outdated sales based marketing approach.
Win More Sales by Sharing Instead of Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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