I was searching for an inspiration for this post tonight and after a bit, I came across an article from blog for the website Salesforce. I thought I would take a meander through that post and see what I came up and if anything was even useful. Here goes nothing!
- Lose the P.E.P.- > Persuasion, enthusiasm, and pitching. This one made me laugh but as an introvert, it is also SO true! We have talked a lot about this in class but the salesperson has to really understand who they are selling to and how that person likes to be sold too. If I’m the CEO of a company and I have had a long day, I’m not going to be extremely enthusiastic about a peppy salesperson coming into my office trying to sell something. Things may not go well. I want the people talking to me to be genuine, trying to understand me and my needs, instead of simply just telling me how much I need their product.
- Think like a doctor- > Again, we have talked about this but basically, this is just about understanding the needs of your customer. Find out the customer’s issues and then offer a diagnosis to the problem. Think like a doctor. Tap into those unfulfilled dreams of being a doctor from Grey’s Anatomy.
- Learn to disqualify- > Ah, this is a tough one, at least in my opinion. I think I would always want to come out of a sales call feeling successful and as if I solved a problem for a customer, but that is simple not the case. There are going to be customers that simply don’t fit with your product or what you are trying to sell. They may need something else than what you are offering or just not even have the budget to be able to afford it. Either way, it’s ok. Just learn to understand that and move on.
- Talk less- > Salesforce notes that if you are talking more than 15% of the sales call, you are talking too much. Asking questions and then sit back and listen to what the customer has to say. Like Prof Sweet and Pink mentioned, maybe subtly match the other person’s body language. Make it about the customer!
Word to the wise, this is no where near the whole list of habits that Salesforce writes but simply my summary of what I thought seemed to be the most valuable habits that they mentioned. A constant theme in is that the customer is king. I know it can start to feel like we are kicking a dead horse but I feel like since the customer is so important, it makes sense, right?
Anywhoo, I hope that this was interesting! Happy Sunday!
Salesforce original post: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2017/05/habits-worlds-most-successful-salespeople.html
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