In an article I found about 10 Unique Sales Strategies, the author addresses eight sales clichés and presents ten unique approaches that challenge those clichés.
The 10 Clichés noted by the author are:
- The customer is always right.
- Don’t talk, just listen.
- Focus on the customers’ problems and nothing else.
- Practice humility at all times.
- Talk up your product and downplay competitors.
- Treat customers as friends or family.
- Don’t give up until you win the sale.
- Always be closing.
In response, the author presents several sales strategies. First, the salesman must value themselves and the customer equally. The customer is important, but having pride and confidence in the product and the business makes a closed sale a success for both parties. Next, good salespeople should encourage two-way conversation. Rather than simply listening to the customer – which would certainly make them feel heard and valued – the author asserts that the best salespeople are articulate and engaged conversationalists. The customer is probably seeking advice, and therefore open conversation is most productive. Next, rather than focusing on the customers problems, which tends to promote a negative attitude, a salesman should focus on what the customer wants and focus on the benefit of the solution. The next bit of advice for salespeople is to sell with pride. By thinking of yourself as a trusted advisor, you are able to provide proud advice without false humility. Next, rather than relentlessly pursuing the sale, good salespeople know when to give up. When in the sales process you realize that your product is not the best fit for your customer, acknowledge it, otherwise you might gain a reputation as an annoying salesperson. The next unique approach is to not agree with the customer about everything. A good salesperson will always be thinking in the best interest of the customer, even if it means disagreeing with their personal assessment of the problem. Next, a good salesman doesn’t disparage their competitors because the customer becomes skeptical. Rather, they acknowledge the high standards of the industry and their competitors’ success. That way, the customer trusts the salesman is presenting a reasonable sale. Next, salespeople must recognize their limitations. Instead of giving information they aren’t sure is accurate, salespeople should be willing to do research and get back to their customers, further strengthening the relationship between buyer and seller. Next, the principle of reciprocity goes a long way when salespeople form good relationships with their customers. By forming a trusting and friendly relationships, customers feel more obliged to buy from you. Finally, good salespeople don’t worry about closing the sale. When a good buyer-seller relationship has developed, customers will move toward closing on their own. Patience, respect, and communication are the keys to closing sales and securing return customers.
These ten sales strategies break clichés and build trust between salespeople and their customers.
testacr22
I appreciate how the author mentions that you shouldn’t agree with everything that the customer says! So often I find myself being completely turned off by someone who has nothing to say against, or in accordance with but different from, my own opinions. I think it’s vital to humanize yourself in the selling process by expressing disagreement or advanced agreement on a matter.
I appreciate the note about not needing to close the sale. My top annoyances with sales people is when they follow me around the store, or try to pressure me into a sale. As a salesperson in the past, I had so much pressure to “close the sale”, and this extra pressure never helped me make a sale. People don’t want to be told how to spend their money, they want to choose and do things for themselves.
I love how the author of this doesn’t just immediately agree with all of the cliches that were presented in that article. It is good to question what people say and make your own educated opinions about it. Also I very much agree with his evaluation of the cliches. Especially with the closing the sale one. It is so hard not to get caught up in that but it is so much better to allow the customer come to their own conclusions even if it ends up being not buying from your company.
Great stuff here! Have a great week!
This is a good article and accurately addresses some of the clichés. I agree with a lot of these but we are now learning about that these are not necessarily the only kinds of salesman there are. Especially in today’s day in age, with technology everywhere and information at our finger tips, salesman have to be truthful and honest with the customers with whom they are interacting. The challenging of these ideas are important in how we now sell today. This was a great blog post.
I think that the approach that the customer is always right is very unique. Though it sounds ironic, selling really is all about the buyer, not the selling. If the buyer is unsatisfied, a sale is never going to be made.