Winning in Sales: What am I missing

Winning in Sales: What am I missing: Many times we find ourselves in a position where we have presented the customer with all of our data, all of our incentives and all of the v...

What am I missing

Many times we find ourselves in a position where we have presented the customer with all of our data, all of our incentives and all of the value yet we can not get the customer to commit to the agreement. This is the most frustrating time for any sales person. We can't seem to reason with the logic of the customer and find ourselves asking the question of "What's wrong with this person" or "Are they seriously not going to do this". You must understand the NO. Who are you selling and by that I mean what is the personality of your customer? What drives them to make decisions and did you present the product in a way that tailors to their way of thinking...

Consider this...You are on a car lot and your mind is made up that you want a sports car. Let's say a Corvette for conversation sake. So you go to the local Chevy dealership and the sales person eagerly meets you and starts in on all the reasons you should buy the Corvette. They tell you about the 0 - 60 speed, the horse power, all the optional features but they have done all of this while standing by a black car the only problem is you want it in Red. Now you don't ask if they have it in red because the sales person ask you are you ready to take this car home and you say NO.

The sales person is confused because he knows you like the car but what hasn't he done? He has presented, very well I will add a vehicle that meets all of your requirements but one. You don't tell him simply because it hasn't been a part of the conversation. So essentially he has what you want but has not met your expectations. You expect to buy a red vehicle.

So how does this relate to what we are discussing. While it would simple to tell the sales person that you are intersted in a red vehicle, in most cases when dealing with our customers they may be more inclined to not bring up the need you are not meeting then to tell you. When you present a customer with a solution and they won't move forward, ask yourself "what am I missing"? What have a failed to ask that is keeping the customer from moving forward?

Simply try this..Mr/Mrs Customer maybe I haven't met a requirement of yours and I have failed to understand what is that you won't, would you mind telling me what my product or service does not have that is more import to you?

Sounds simple right...so simply do it and see what the response is. Once you identify the road block, you can then tailor your product or solution to meet the "buy factor" of your customer.

Happy Selling

From Their Point of Few

Experienced Sales professionals have strong personalities and the ability to analyze information and present a solution based on needs and benefits. They are able to lead a conversation and position questions that ultimately lead a potential client in a pre-determined direction. The area that keeps Experienced Sales Professionals from becoming Exceptional Sales Professionals is the ability to analyze information not only from their perspective but from the perspective of their client. How many times have you positioned a solution or product and your customer did not want to move forward and you could only think, "Does this guy not see how this will help him". The solution is to place yourself in the situation of your client and from their standpoint, view the potential consequences or pitfalls with the proposed solution. Clarify their objection and uncover the underlying issue. What would make you comfortable? What would make you say o.k, I'm willing to move forward? Acknowledge the concerns of your client from their view not your own. This will help to create a relationship of understanding and further build their trust in you and your solution. BE A KNOW ALOT NOT A KNOW IT ALL.

Happy Selling

Expecting the Objection

Many times we as sales professionals will be faced with the reasons customers claim they can't commit to our products and services otherwise known as "OBJECTIONS". You give the customer your best pitch and it seems like a no brainer but out of left field they give you some reason why they want to hold off or can't do business with you. We must learn to embrace, expect and look forward to this moment as this will bring us one step closer to closing the sell. There are many sells books and other blogs that will tell you how to handle an objection but are they really effective? My experience has taught me that the best way to handle an objection is create it. Try to consider all objections that would impact the opportunity and present them during your solution.
Examples

Mr. Customer the current ecomony has caused businesses like yours to reduce spending for (whatever your selling) but the benefits for your business are (give the customer value).

Mrs. Customer you probably feel that a solution this size is not what your business needs but based on what we discussed, here is where you can impact your (address the following; revenue, productivity, ROI, etc).

Each situation you face will present an obstacle which can be used as an opportunity. Show your potential customer that you are aware of these obstacles but hold fast to your recommendation. Don't attempt to avoid them as they will rear their ugly heads when you think the sell is in the bag. Get them out there, address them, sell your benefits and proceed to the close.

Happy Selling

What made you say that

Many times we as sales people fail to address the logic of information that is provided to us. We tend to agree with phrases or statements that honestly make no sense to us. When we do this, we create a sense of understanding to our customers when in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

When a potential customers makes a statement that logically makes no sense, ask for clarification. I once had a customer tell me "The economy is bad and no one is spending right now so we are going to just reduce our advertising and see how things go next year"....Now, I could have said I understand or I see what your saying but I did not. My response was simple and helped me to stay engaged in the sales conversation. Had I agreed, I would have started to turn control of the conversation over to my customer. He would have felt that his statement in fact made sense and further hardened his position.

So what did I say? I responded by saying Mr. Customer, I don't understand. This of course prompted a response of what do you mean, at which time the door now opened for me to address the objection head on with logic. I went on to explain how doing nothing was not an option for his business and that you can only tread water till your arms get tired. The end result was I was able to keep this customer from making a huge mistake by not agreeing with his reasoning.

Challenge your customers to explain their responses. Don't simply agree or empathize if there is no true understanding of how they came to that conclusion.

Happy Hunting

Selling in a Tough Economy

Sales professionals today are now being faced with the biggest objection to overcome. It's the Economy, Economy, Economy. Consumers aren't spending money, businesses aren't spending money, the recession is the cause of it all...RIGHT? While it is true that our economy was at it's lowest point in years and consumer and business spending did decrease, did we all stop making purchases? Did people stop buying homes, cars, real estate, advertising, electronics etc..etc? NO. What we have witnessed is the maturity of purchasing. But what is the Maturity of Purchasing? Businesses and Consumers are analyzing more data, comparing more options, price shopping but also value shopping. As sales professionals we can no longer assume our products are superior, even if they are. We can no longer push products that feed our pockets but have no real value to the end user. Selling and Winning in a tough economy will now require that your approach to the sell be based on the value your product or service will provide. Setting yourself apart will ultimately lead to better opportunities to close the sell.

Pitch Big, Stay Focused, Close the Sell

Winning in Sales: The "WHY" Factor - Assume the sell but don't assum...

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