A cold call will take most people out of their comfort zone.
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sales
People tend to tell everyone they know about how great an experience was as well as how awful an organization is to deal with.
We have seen politicians, CEO’s, and sales professionals all brag about how they did something great and how they deserve all the credit. Unfortunately, anything worth doing takes a great deal of effort and typically takes support of others.
When thinking about 2020 on how it crushed many goals that we had, remember that making small adjustments and moving forward is what we truly need.
Before you get all bitter and throw whatever you are using to read this post out the window please take a breath. Yes, 2020 and a pandemic were a lot to handle and most of our goals and aspirations for 2020 went out the window.
The first thing that I ask them is what is the market bearing for a sales price for what they offer. Often, I am left with a blank stare saying our price.
They may challenge our assumptions, but to help us make sure we effectively thinking through the process.
If a slogan will not cure all of our needs for marketing and sales, then what do we do?
Trust is a commodity these days that is in high demand. People need to trust others that they are working on tasks that will help the organization move forward.
Since the creation of mail advertising, tv, and the internet there has been a great focus on marketing. Now that we as a society have evolved and become smarter, the old way of marketing features and benefits has had to evolve. Just buying the biggest ad in the yellow pages will not work these days.
Trust is a highly important question that has to be answered by us for the customer. If we don’t answer that question with our actions and words lining up, then the customer will move on down the road to our competitors that offer similar products / services.
Most of the time the sales person is thinking on the fly and often falters when pressed for more details.
Organizations should use the same process they use to sell their products and services correctly.
Far too many sales people take the signed order and ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again. It’s a huge opportunity that unfortunately most sales people miss out on!
If we jump straight into selling mode after we get the customer’s name, we are failing the customer. Ever wonder why when asked what brings you in to this store today the customer says something like this, “Just looking…”
What the customer does care about is how this product / service will meet “their needs”. That’s right! How does what we offer help the customer?
Have you ever had customers call you complaining that they are not being taken care of properly? Ever had them say this is not what they agreed to? How about this statement, “I think you need to come pick up your stuff as I no longer wish to do business with you?”
Good morning everyone!
How many times have you been nervous to hear a result? Whether it was a test result from your doctor, that first time you asked a girl out in school, or how about when you sent the price over to a prospective customer and were in the silence which seemed like forever?
Most sales people have gone through this period at least in the beginning of their careers when they get to the fourth buying decision for the customer. It’s when the customer will inform the sales person if the work put in and the price align, or if they are not sold yet. During this buying decision far too many sales people will start spouting off more benefits and features, price dropping, etc. before the customer ever provides feedback.
When we start justifying our price as soon as we send it, we immediately devalue our proposal psychologically. Now the customer has no other course, but to challenge the price. The old saying less is more applies here. When the sales person send over the price, they need to stop speaking. Just like in a negotiation, the first person that speaks loses.
Now I temper that with a statement that submitting pricing is not an us vs. them situation, because we have done all of the steps in the sales process and are trying to serve the customer. What I am saying is that when we submit the pricing, we need to not devalue our proposition to the customer. Now the discussion should be on the customer to decide how to proceed.
Maybe the customer needs a little more information because we did not answer one of their needs that is high value. That’s okay because we can address that need quickly to help them make sure this is the best product / service they are about to purchase. Maybe the customer is in the research phase of decision making. This should have been discovered early on in the first buying decision, but maybe they are trying to budget. Then it is up to us to make sure we identify the next step for them to take and how we can help the customer.
There is nothing wrong with hearing a no right after we have provided the price. This is how we adjust and understand what may be limiting the customer from making the purchase. Just like shooting a rifle from 1000 yards away from a target. Sometimes a small adjustment needs to be made to hit the target in the center. This is our opportunity to correct and address the customer’s needs and help them.
If we don’t sell the product / service right after the first time we submit a price, that is okay. Sometimes there is a better option for the customer, but if we have done a great job, the customer will tell us why we may have lost this sale, but they will tell others how we helped them if we walk with them through the five buying decisions correctly.
As a side note most sales people never go back and find out why they lost a sale. This is valuable information if that happens to adjust the sales approach going forward!
We just need to make sure we do no devalue ourselves, or our offerings while working through the sales process with them.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”
Credibility is typically linked to knowledge. A person goes to school, gets a degree and then they are finally credible on a subject. While that is very true, there are other aspects to Credibility that many do not think about.
The sales process is the key to mastering the art of first impressions, building rapport, and likeability. Once we master the first buying decision of the sales process, we can build rapport with those around us faster!