Sales Tips I’ve Learned From The Masters
During my career I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with some master sales people. Here’s a few tips I’ve learned from them — am passing them forward, hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me.
Get the other person to talk
The most effective sales people are those that understand the customer’s pain and provide solutions to eliminate their pain.
How do you understand the customer’s pain? You get them to tell you!
That’s what this tip is all about — getting the customer to talk, to make them feel comfortable enough with you to share their pain. Once you understand this, you can suggest solutions to eliminate this pain. And that’s what sales is really about, problem solving. It’s not about selling the customer something they don’t need, it’s selling them something they really do need. If you do, then they will be a loyal customer to you. You’ll become and insider and will own the account, competitors won’t be able to enter.
I once met a sales person who didn’t care to know anything about my problem, he was selling himself. It was amazing how many words he could speak without taking a breath! He went on and on and on. And on and on. You’ve heard the expression, talked to death? That’s the way I felt listening to him.
Did he get the business? No, because he didn’t explain at all how he could help me. I got nothing out of that meeting (except a good story which I’m sharing now).
You don’t learn anything when you talk, you only learn when the customer talks. So make the customer comfortable enough to spill their guts.
So how do you get the other person to talk? There’s no magic formula, you have to be yourself and engage with the customer in whichever way works for you.
Ask a checking question
This tip is really simple, anyone can do it with their eyes closed. Shame on you if you don’t use this tip.
Whenever a customer asks you a question, answer it. Then ask them back “Did I answer your question? I’m always surprised how many times the customer says “No, you didn’t”.
Asking them the checking question give them a chance to tell you that they still have a question. If you don’t ask them, they (likely) won’t tell you they still have a question. And you won’t have a chance to put whatever doubts they have to rest. You could lose a great chance to seal the deal.
Don’t attack the competition by name
If you’re talking about the competition or showing a competitive slide, don’t call out the competition by name. Say “the competition” or something similar.
Why? Because you never know how the customer feels about your competition. His or her spouse/significant other might work for the competition. Or they might have worked for them in the past. Or …
What about if the customer asks who is the competition you’re referring to? Go ahead and tell them! They asked you a question, answer it directly. Because they asked you, it’s OK to name the competition. But don’t mention the competition by name unsolicited.
