The customer has to be ready to listen before you can present. Relating to customers by being naturally curious about them, asking questions and listening with both your ears and your eyes, is the way to get them ready to listen. This is the formula for developing long-term CredABILITY and long lasting, productive relationships. ...
Imagine scheduling a first meeting with a Fortune 100, Senior Vice President. A key decision maker in a huge project you're competing for. Imagine that you both have clear agendas and are extremely excited to meet each other. Imagine two minutes into the meeting, you learn that he thought you were there to fix something you couldn't even work let alone fix and he has no clue what you're talking about. Would it surprise you to learn that these two people ended up having a great relationship and the sales person won the deal?...
Trust and confidence are still earned best via personal connection. The information age has been significantly accelerated by social media. Many business leaders are enhancing their focus on building great social/digital marketing campaigns and that's absolutely needed today. However, this ease of access to product and service details means face to face time with customers has to be even more focused on addressing the personal needs of the decision makers. This has always been what great sellers do and it's needed more today than ever before....
Is every customer or client right for your business? Is any paid business, good business for you and your company? The answer can be no for many reasons but for the purposes of focusing your sales strategies, plans and resources, there are five things you want to look at. Learn what those are in this blog....
Many think that sales people are money hungry, hard-charging people who will do anything to get a bigger commission check. No doubt we've all encountered people, in sales roles, who embody these traits. In my experience, these are not the people who are consistent top performers. Top performers are addicted to winning, find joy in helping others and relate well to a diverse set of people. They also happen to make the most money but... the dollar is not their driver....
Being accountable for an outcome is just part of being in sales. Being "Unreasonably Accountable" is the way incredibly successful sales people take the leadership role in any sales situation. When the unexpected occurs, great sales people first ask "What could I have done differently?" and "What can I do, within my control, to change the course towards a win?" Finding this trait in you takes self reflection and sometimes a good kick in the pants....
When you're fortunate enough to find a problem that needs solving for your customers and/or your market, do you find people who have the knack for coming up with lots of creative solutions? Are you surprised when a lot of those seemingly creative, smart ideas, don't get the promised results your customer needs? Did you waste your time and even more important, the time of your customer? I have a simple discipline that will help you avoid this pitfall. ...
