As we talked more with Evan Addams this Friday, the one thing that stuck out to me was the point he talked about with the importance of the agenda in sales. I had never really thought about the importance of making sure the customer you are working for knows exactly what you are trying to accomplish. I think the reason that I like this so much is I feel it could be a really good way to establish trust, which is key in a selling relationship.
Using the agenda to establish trust seems to be a tactic that could be very practical because trust is so important in sales relationships today. I hope that I can establish trust with customers, and use this as a good tool. When you are up front with people, even in day-to-day interactions, it establishes a good repore and lets people feel like they are able to understand what you motives are.
Being open and honest about your agenda also forces you to make sure that your agenda is one that is going to be in the best interest of the customer. It forces you to think beforehand what your customer needs and that will enable you to tailor your services in the best way for them.
I’ve really enjoyed having Evan come to our class the last two weeks and look forward to the last time he will be with us.
BoweryJE22
Taylor, I appreciated your comment about how clearly communicating your agenda to the customer keeps you honest. Hidden motives are such a turn-off… so by ridding the sales process of them, salespeople should technically become that much more successful. In my mind, department stores seem to be a good example of this – when the salespeople trying to help me are really pushing products for no apparent reason, I’m inclined to detest shopping even more than I already do. But when the salespeople really try to get to know me and my style (okay that could be a generous term), I’m so much more trusting and willing to try new pieces.