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Sales Simplified - Discovery... The

Written by: Rick Leffke

Article Overview: Salespeople must be skilled at asking key questions on every call in order to find the solution that would best fit the needs of the customer/client. How do we do we do it effectively?

Sales Simplified - Discovery... The

How sharp is your axe..? I love the story of the old-time logger who always did his work with a two-blade axe. His son left the woods of South Eastern Oklahoma to go to college, and while he was away he sent his father a gas-powered chainsaw. The son called home to ask how his father liked it. His father answered that it was all right, but he preferred his axe. The son was puzzled. How could his father not love the chainsaw? The son came home on break determined to show his father what a great tool the chainsaw was. He gave a couple of sharp pulls on the starter cord while his father watched. When the engine on the chainsaw fired up, the father exclaimed, "What's that noise?" Most people charged with selling in our companies, have received product-knowledge training, but that is not enough. In fact, studies have shown that a salesperson's product knowledge is only 15% of what is needed to be successful in sales. "We must show them how to start the chain saw." If product knowledge was all they needed, home builders would sell their own houses instead of turning the job over to REALTORS® or having full time sales staffs. "Selling (people skills) Skills" along with product knowledge become the ingredients necessary for successful selling. What's to know? In recent articles, I mentioned the importance of the CEO's, presidents, and/or owners to set the right expectations and ground rules for a successful sales organization. I also talked about "The First Step", prospecting, and not one sale is ever closed without some kind of initiation by your sales people. Even having the right ingredients for the "Greeting" can have an impact on creating the right environment for the successful sales conversation. But, here is the "Grand Daddy" of all for achieving sales success. The secret sauce, if you will... "Discovery" Salespeople must be skilled at asking key questions on every call in order to find the solution that would best fit the needs of the customer/client. How do we do we do it effectively? It's all about them... not you! 1. Learn to listen and listen to learn: AT&T conducted a study in 1939 to discover the most commonly used word in the English language. Take a guess at the answer... You're right, "I" is the most commonly use word. Without the mastery of selflessness, your conversations will tend to end up about you and your needs (making the sale, being #1, buying the new boat, paying for your son's new braces...). Listening is an art and can only be perfected when you get out of the way. Here are some interesting facts on listening: * Most of us are distracted, self-focused or forgetful about 75% of the time we should be listening. * We listen at 125-250 words per minute, but think at 1000-3000 words per minute. * Immediately after we listen to someone, we only recall about 50% of what they said. * Long-term, we only remember 20% of what we hear. Listening goes beyond hearing someone's words. By listening you create an environment where others know you understand. 2. Build your confidence: Confidence is an attitude we have about our skill level in different areas of our life. The more skilled you are the higher the level of confidence. The lower the skill level, the more you avoid it. No one can give you the confidence you need to be effective in what you do. Only you can put yourself into a learning/practice environment to become better at your position. Remember that practice make permanent, so practice the skills that cause your success. "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -Thomas Edison 3. Identify their value: There can be a tenancy to be more interested in what "we" have to say and assume we are smart enough to know what the customer wants, is interested in, and needs. If we continue to provide the same solutions to their problems before we really know them and what their needs are we may minimize the value they see in us. After all, we have spent years cramming all this product knowledge into every fiber of our being. When we get the chance to let it out, "it's a gusher!" We become our product knowledge and to prove how good we are, boast about how much we know... "A hungry mountain lion came out of the hills attacked and killed a bull. As the lion dined on it's kill, the lion would pause from time to time and roar at it's triumph. He would stand, roar and let everyone know that he was the King! A hunter in the area heard the commotion, found the lion, and shot him dead. Here's the moral... when you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut." Studies on influence suggest 90% of your influencing power hinges on the understanding that people become more receptive to our ideas when we demonstrate a genuine interest and openness to their concerns first. Besides it's why our job exists. In fact the best solution for the customers comes only when we fully understand. In conclusion... "I am always amazed at how little we, as salespeople, know about the people we do business with. Yet we expect them to spend money, buying our goods and services. We really don't know how this person thinks or feels as an individual in many cases." - Nola Beldegreen The one thing for sure is everyone is motivated differently. When you understand what it is that motivates another person, you can learn to tap into that and expect action to follow. Here is a perfect example... A man lost his dog and placed an ad in the local newspaper offering a $500.00 reward. Dissatisfied with the lack of phone calls, he called the newspaper to complain. "I want to speak to the advertising manager," he said. "She is out of the office," the receptionist replied. "Well let me talk to her assistant." "He's out also." "Okay, let me speak to the editor." "The editor is out of the office too." "All right, let me talk to the editor's assistant." "Sorry, she is out too." "Do you mean to tell me there is nobody there?" the man asked. "That's correct," replied the receptionist. The frustrated man asked, "Where are they?" The receptionist replied, "They are all out looking for your dog." This story has been around for a long time, maybe for good reason. It's a nice way to summarize how listening can uncover the motivation of our customers so we craft the right solution creating their delight in our products and service. It really is about their wants, interests, and needs. “Go out and create your future, or it will be created for you.” - Rick Leffke

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Article Tags: axe, eastern oklahoma, grand daddy, home builders, initiation, old time, presidents, product knowledge, realtors, recent articles, sales organization, sales success, salespeople, salesperson, staffs, starter cord, successful sales, successful selling, time logger, time sales



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Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
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