As a salesperson, you should work to focus all of your
attention on your customer and his/her needs. It's all too easy to swoop in to
present a solution instead of listening to your customer's complaints and the
specifics of his/her situation.
In this rush to cut to the chase, you're in danger of coming
across as arrogant, and your customers end up feeling their input is
unimportant and unappreciated. This understandable mistake happens for two
reasons:
* You want to come off as the "expert" or
"hero," showing off all your knowledge by providing the solution
before your customer even has a chance to finish her thought.
* You're in a hurry and don't have the time and energy to
devote to your customer.
For example, let's say you're about to leave for a week's
vacation when a prospective customer calls. He starts to go into a long story
about his business and all the problems he's encountered in the last five
years. You realize that you have heard his story -- or at least a similar one
-- many times before, so you interrupt him to give your answer to his problems.
You try to end the call as soon as possible so you can leave for vacation.
In this case, even though you might have given your prospect
a good solution, chances are he won't feel satisfied with the conversation. He
didn't have an opportunity to tell you about his business, so he feels
shortchanged.
What should you have done? Next time, embrace any
information your prospect gives you, whether you believe it's valuable or not.
If you truly didn't have time to talk at length with this prospect, you should
have requested the opportunity to call him back after you returned from
vacation. Otherwise, you should have put down your briefcase, closed your
office door, and listened to him for as long as he needed.
Remember, even if you hear the story all the time, it is
unique and personal for each customer. Instead of interrupting your customer
with your standard solution, let him have the floor and explain his problem.
Only then can you proceed with the process of finding a solution for whatever
ails him.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Sales Tip: Who Gets Past Gatekeepers?
A recent survey asked gatekeepers how they determined who
gets through to a decision-maker. The top answer was, "People I
like."
Treating gatekeepers with respect is in the salesperson's best interest. This person is very close to the decision-maker, and has a lot of valuable information.
So work with him or her to establish a friendly rapport. Use a conversational, yet confident tone of voice. If you were standing in the lobby of his or her office, the gatekeeper would first size you up based on your appearance and the way you sound.
Early in the conversation, ask for the gatekeeper's name. Use it, put it in your notes and greet the screener by name on your next call. You will seem much less like a stranger on subsequent calls.
Treating gatekeepers with respect is in the salesperson's best interest. This person is very close to the decision-maker, and has a lot of valuable information.
So work with him or her to establish a friendly rapport. Use a conversational, yet confident tone of voice. If you were standing in the lobby of his or her office, the gatekeeper would first size you up based on your appearance and the way you sound.
Early in the conversation, ask for the gatekeeper's name. Use it, put it in your notes and greet the screener by name on your next call. You will seem much less like a stranger on subsequent calls.
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