Business owners and sales people have one very important task: knowing their customers. The only way to do that is asking what they need and why they need it. It’s that simple. No matter whether they sell insurance, books, furniture, bank accounts, consulting services or real estate; never mind whether their customer is Mr. Smith or company XYZ Inc: great sales people focus on the customer. Positive Sales means exactly that: finding out about the client’s needs by asking as many questions as necessary; and only then matching their needs with the product or service, if appropriate.
Think about how it feels being a customer of a clumsy sales person. First they don’t understand what we want, then they offer us the wrong thing and when we are not convinced they make desperate attempts to push us into the purchase. There is a lack of good sales people in this country, no matter what industry we are looking at. But there are thousands of sales strategies, taught at sales seminars, workshops and coaches. And yet the good sales women or man is still the exception.
It is hard to get away from the approach to talk as much as possible about one’s products in the hope that the customer might find them interesting enough to buy. The main mistake inexperienced sales people make is asking no questions; the second is not listening. And even if this is what sales people think they do: believe me, most don’t. Why? Because asking and listening are skills that need to be developed and nursed regularly. And because is very difficult when your boss breathes down your neck with the weekly sales targets.
You are in sales yet not happy with how you’re doing right now? Try to be more aware of yourself during your sales conversations and ask yourself:
In percentages, who talks more and who listens more?
(It should be you listening and the customer talking).
How efficient are your questions?
(The right questions get the right answers quicker).
What do you actually need to know from your average client?
(Prepare a list of the most crucial questions that need answering).
And most importantly: do you hear what they are saying?
(= React and adapt appropriately).
Many sales people realize that they thought they had been asking and listening to their customers as much as was necessary - before they actually started doing it. What is the point of all the learning about Positive Sales? Well, better sales performance turning out as higher turnover, richer sales bonus and happier work life are just the rewards that affect the sales person. Happier customers and return business are additional perks. For clients and sales personnel alike.
Do you really hear me? Or: why Positive Sales equals Listening - To learn more about this author, visit Andrea 's Website.
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Andrea
(Visit Andrea's Website)
* Business Trainer and Coach
Since autumn 2007 I’ve been teaching
leadership seminars at the Washtenaw
Community College in Ann Arbor (MI) and as
faculty member at The LEAD Institute,
where m role is 360 degree feedback
coaching with executives. I’m certified in
AchieveGlobal training seminars for
Genuine Leadership, Professional Selling
Skills and Customer Service. Previous
client: DELL, Slovak Republic.
I'm also PhD candidate in Leadership
and Organizational Change at www.thierry
school.org.
Previous to this role I worked as Local
Business Manager for Barclays Bank in
Brighton, UK. The main components of this
role were sales, business development and
risk management. During that period I
attended numerous networking events and
held a position as chapter director for a
local networking organization.
Previous to that I was an Account
Executive for Kimberly-Clark, also in
Brighton, England. For this American
company I oversaw the Order To Cash
process of the largest German retail
group.
My interest in sales started when I worked
as Sales Assistant Manager for a medium
sized company, selling laminate and
hardwood flooring in a commission based
role.
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Authentic Leadership and Sales - My goal with this blog is to bring some serious fun into the leadership research- and business community. Serious, because leadership is the most fascinating topic in business for me and I’m not doing my PhD in leadership and organizational change for nothing. Fun, because what you do must be what you like. And learning about leadership is what I like best.
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