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The state of the art of selling didn't change much from the Industrial Revolution to the 1970s. But it has changed dramatically since then. A consultant named Neil Rackham, in his book Spin Selling, made the first step from art to science in selling. After observing thousands of sales calls, he came to an interesting and unexpected conclusion: The best salespeople were not necessarily the best talkers, they were the best listeners. They listened first and talked second; they discovered the need before presenting a solution. This was the birth of consultative selling. Rackham found that the best salespeople had a much higher listen-to-talk ratio and that they used the classic journalist queries - who, how, what, why, when, and where - to keep the client talking.
A talker, however, feels that he or she can simply explain a long list of features of a product and eventually hit upon something the client likes. Here it comes...feature, feature, feature..."Stop me if you see something you like." But these are features in search of problems. It's called "dashing to the demo," "shotgun selling," or "spray and pray."
In some cases, the cause of this tactic is pride in product functionality; in others, technical salespeople believe that if they just show how smart they are, Clients will buy - whether they need the product or not. Linking the features to the benefits and the benefits to the business problem is left to the buyer.
The benefits of high-value solutions that touch multiple departments with a multitude of technical capabilities of differing priorities aren't easily discernible to the buying organization. If you don't help make the links to the client's business problems, then your competitor might - and you'll be outsold.
Many evaluations are effectively over before the presentation begins. The salesperson has either established preference from a previous sale or has been effective in the needs-assessment phase of this sale. Even if you know what the client's problem is (called "selling to anticipated needs"), it doesn't matter. Admitting that there's a problem helps buyers open up and makes them more receptive to suggestions. In a single sales call, this means probing and listening before you present. In formal presentations, this means conducting a needs analysis or survey before a presentation. Again, the process is quite natural to consultants, where the solution is defined by the problem.
The discovery or needs-assessment process provides three essential benefits:
1. It helps you determine whether you have a match before you ever present a solution.
2. It prevents presumptive selling - i.e., "How dare you present a solution? You don't even understand my problem!" It builds a better rapport between seller and buyer, because it compels you to listen.
3. A sales call that's usually shorter yet more effective, because it's focused on the needs of the individuals and the organization. Moreover, you are no longer presenting to strangers. You speak the Clients' language about their issues because you "out cared" your competitors by "out listening" them.
Arguably, the most important skill in business is listening. Some of us are better listeners than others, but we all must work on our listening skills if we are going to maximize our success in the business world.
If you are a sales and marketing professional and there is only one article you ever read and take action on, let it be this one. The most important skill you can develop is the ability to listen and understand cust...
Listening, really listening, is a truly demanding and complex activity, which offers the listener an opportunity for growth. When we truly listen to someone, when we hear not only the words, but also their importan...
Dave Kurlan
Dave 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
George Ludwig
George 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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Colly Graham
(Visit Colly's Website)
Colly Graham CEO of salesxcellence After
graduating from college, Colly entered the
field of accountancy however after five
years decided to change his career
direction in sales. First working for a
Fortune 500 company in fast moving
consumer goods, his career progressed from
selling capital equipment, financial
services to internet services, with a wide
management experience in both telephone
and field sales, concentrating on the
recruitment, training and development of
sales people, in this role he gained
experience in designing and building a
number of successful sales teams. Colly
brings thirty years of practical
experience of selling and his ability to
empathize with sales people and establish
immediate rapport and credibility as a
trainer, (the accolade Colly receives from
most sales people is that he has carried
the bag). A licensed practitioner of NLP
Colly trained with Richard Bandler in
1998. When I entered the field of sales,
back in 1969, with local franchise holder
for Pepsi Cola because of my lack of
knowledge of any selling skills I set a
goal, to one day, start my own training
company. As my career in sales progressed
becoming a sales manager, group
Colly Graham Video - Colly Graham discusses Creating Customers on the Telephone -The importance of the telephone in selling is now well documented. This training DVD focuses on getting in front of more prospects by teaching the skill of telephone appointment setting. The workshop demonstrates the connection between daily activities, the sales cycle, and the number of sales necessary for a consistent flow of qualified appointments. Based on practical skills that get results fill your diary with qualified appointments.
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