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Volume IX, Issue 9
August 19, 2011 |
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| info@SalesFocusInc.com | toll free 866.840.8305 |
Know your competition, their strengths and their weaknesses.
Knowing the competition is essential, but truly understanding the competition, their value proposition, and their market position can be a strong tool. I never mention competition while selling; however, if my prospect brings up the competition, I'll always know how I compete and in what areas I'm stronger and more effective. If you know the competition, you never have to mention them, you should be eliminating them without mentioning them as you talk about your strengths and target their weaknesses. Knowledge is power. Understanding how a business runs and how executives think is essential to your success. If you have the knowledge and experience, you have the power in the selling situation. Everyone talks about "team selling" and "relationship selling." I believe selling from a position of power and knowledge to be the most effective method. Building relationships is important, but when you are confident in your product and can show your client the true value you can bring to his business, the relationship will develop based on trust.
Know your customer's needs.
Understanding the customer is the most important aspect in any selling situation. The more you know about your client, their business practice, their history, and their successes and failures, the more power you have. If you can walk into a prospect and already have the knowledge of what has been successful and what has failed for them in the past, you have a strong position to conduct your selling. In order to truly understand the client: do your homework, do the research, and don't be afraid to ask the hard questions. Understanding why something failed in the past can be painful for the client, but you will be able to show them that you understand and want to avoid the same mistakes. Understanding the client means understanding their business as well. My best sales people over the past 25 years have always had a true interest in their clients. They really cared about the success of their clients and they took the time to understand the business. If you can relate to your client on a business level it takes away the "sales person" and makes the deal a true business proposition.
Understand the personality of your customer.
Personality profiling is a skill that can make good sales people into great sales professionals. Many books and training classes have been developed around understanding personality types and selling to specific personalities. This is a skill that cannot be developed in one class or training session. This is a skill that needs to be developed over years of practice. Developing your craft as sales professionals should be a never ending endeavor. You can search the internet and find a million training programs and seminars about sales techniques and tools, but I believe the Number 1 tool for the most successful sales person is understanding personalities! Selling to the personality, understanding your customer's buying decisions, and their personal needs are essential to success. Only the best sales people really work at their craft. Sales are not just about talking or buying lunch and golf outings. Sales are about understanding your client, their personality, and what drives them to make their decisions.
Take a Stand - Be Ready to Walk Away!
Be prepared to walk away! If you value your product and believe in what you sell, you need to have the mentality that what I have to sell is almost too good for the client and I'm allowing them to buy it, but they need to convince me. It is strange to think about sales and having the client convince you, but in order to sell with power, your mindset must be that your product is so valuable they may not be worthy! If you take the stand that you will only sell to quality clients who really understand the value you are bringing to them, it will change the way you approach sales. You no longer look at prospects the same way. You are now evaluating the prospects differently, to see if they qualify. This gives you the position of power in the sale.
Value what you sell, understand your product and the customer, then develop the ability to identify personality types. If you have these skills, you can develop into a great sales person. Everyone sells a little differently and everyone has strengths and weaknesses; however, the 5 tools I reviewed are basic to success. Selling from a Position of Power comes from training, knowledge and practice. Over the past 25 plus years, sales has changed and the good sales people continue to adjust their methods and develop their skills. It's more fun when you have the power!
Sales Focus is driven towards a single goal: "Generating Immediate Revenue for our Clients!" Whether it's implementing our S.O.L.D. Methodology, Developing Lead Generation Programs or Launching an Outsourced Sales Force, we remain focused on the goal of TACTICALLY GENERATING RAPID REVENUE. Let us help you not only meet, but exceed your sales goals.
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