We all are aware of the greatest sales guru of our time: Michael Scott. While Michael can be a tad off-the-wall sometimes… ok, all the time, he is actually a great salesman. In class we watched the sales call with a city representative at Chili’s and it was quite obvious that Scott has great tips for closing a sale. Within the conversation, Michael showed more interest in getting the buyer to laugh or talk about the needs of the city, than about talking numbers. So, here are 4 Michael Scott quotes that can be helpful in your next sales meeting:
1. Sales is just like your other 2 relationships
As I said before, Michael Scott loves getting to know people. He loves being silly and trying to make everything a good time. It can be obnoxious, but as we saw in the Chili’s call when he uses it to close a deal it is rather effective. Looking at sales as a form of a relationship is better than trying to go in and get a quota. It leads to a stronger relationship and a more thorough understanding of your possible buyer.
2. Money is a problem, do not avoid it
We started talking about budget last week in class. Talking about money can be uncomfortable if you are not good at reading the room. A lot of what goes on before bringing up budget is testing the waters to see what kind of buyer you are dealing with. It is also highly important to be as specific as possible – ask questions to ensure you and the buyer are on the same page. Asking questions may lead to a conversation about the buyer’s true problem. Maybe they need your product because they have too much money – ya never know until you ask!
3. Being buddies is hard, walk away when you can
Part of being a good sales representative is knowing when it is not a good fit. If you encounter someone who is not sure completely of what they want, or is not ready to part with their money for your product/service – than it may just not be the right transaction for today. This is not your fault, in fact the buyer may be more appreciative when you kindly tell them your product/service will not solve their problem. Coach D mentioned this when selling the school to prospective students. Sometimes, it is not right, and that is OK.
4. Always have the confidence of Beyonce
Confidence. We need it. We discussed in class and read in Pink’s book that failure is a part of sales… and life. What will make or break us is how we deal with the “no” or the click of the other end of the receiver. It is certainly not fun but we can learn from every sales conversation we have, it does not need to be a defeat. If we continue to improve and find where we are going wrong, we will eventually get a win. Wendy even mentioned that having the appearance of confidence and knowing what you are selling goes a long way for a buyer.
testacr22
That was one thing I adored about the show. Even though Mike usually acts stupid, he’s actually a very talented salesman.
A lot of “The Office” examples in this weeks posts! I think confidence is perhaps the most important thing to have as a salesman. It makes you more trustworthy, which is valuable to a customer. Good post!