Category: Sales Training

A Sales Rule You Can’t Afford To Break:

Be Transparent

4/7 in a series

Over the past few weeks we’ve been talking about six things we must do to be successful in sales. This week we focus on being transparent.

Most of these 6 imperatives are about how to get to Yes, but this one is about not creating a No. Being transparent through the sales process does not mean you will win the deal, but lacking transparency by being inconsistent, uninformed, or unclear can lose the deal.

Don’t sabotage your sale by getting caught off guard.

We’ve all been there. You’re having great conversation with your customer. They are interested in your service, and closing the deal is all but inevitable. And then they ask a question. You don’t know the answer, but you could make an informed guess. If you answer now, you can close this deal on the spot. If you wait to get an answer, they might change their mind or explore other options.

Some salespeople may have found it tempting to B.S. a little. What’s the harm? Your answer is probably correct, anyway. Right?

There used to be that kind of “wiggle-room” in sales. Even if you were tempted before, you just can’t B.S. it now. You can’t take the risk.

Buyers used to depend on salespeople for information about their products. Salespeople could have a little knowledge and a lot of confidence, and both parties might walk away happy. But thanks to the internet, buyers have access to as much—if not more—information as you do.

A recent study found 45% of buyers are doing more research now than they did just one year ago. We need a lot of knowledge, a little confidence, and easy access to answers for those out-of-left-field questions when they do pop up. And sometimes the humility to admit when we just don’t know.

We can’t afford to say one thing when our website, our ads, or our colleagues say something else. Think of the red flags that get raised when your answers don’t jibe with the other things they’ve seen and heard.

Were you inconsistent because you don’t know? They might question your credibility.

Were you inconsistent because you lied? They might question your integrity.

Were you inconsistent because the company doesn’t have a good process? They might question the business’ ethics.

People buy from people they trust. Now, more than ever, we have no choice but to be trustworthy. That means being transparent and consistent across all sources of information. What we say and do has to be consistent with what we claim—and what our company claims—our products and services can do. If not, we risk losing trust…and the sale.

The best way to avoid this pitfall is to be prepared. We can help.

If you’d like to see the rest of the series or read more blog posts from The WinSource, you can find them here.

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Ideas, comments, and questions are always welcomed! Happy Selling!

Want To Sell More Effectively? Focus On Them. Here’s What That Means:

It’s about them…part 3 of 7.

Good salespeople quickly realize they can’t bring self centered marketing, storyboards, and ego to the table when selling. It turns prospects off, destroys credibility, and wastes time.

In this series we’ve been discussing the six sales imperatives that keep salespeople and their interactions with clients relevant and meaningful. Last week’s session: ‘It’s not about you’ reminded us that being self centered during initial engagements with our prospect is risky and unproductive. So, if that’s the case…who is it about? It’s about them- the prospect. If you just said the word “Duh” in your head, you’re not alone. It seems so obvious. Of course it’s about them. Well, if that’s the case, why does it get missed so often?

You can have an amazing product, outstanding service, and an unbelievable customer support program and still fail to hit your target. You prepared well, you got the right people around the table, and your sales presentation went amazingly, but you still didn’t make the sale. 

Why? 

It’s possible you overlooked something. The buyer. There are 4 barriers of buying that must be cleared with every buyer if you are going to secure the sale and retain your customers. It goes without saying that your product or service must meet the needs of the buyer and their organization. As a good salesperson though, you also have to overcome the 4 buying barriers. 

Here they are:

  1. No Trust- The prospect senses that your intentions are selfish. 
  2. No Need- The prospect either doesn’t feel the need to act or doesn’t see any risk in delaying the solution.  
  3. No Help- The prospect has heard about your product or service, but they don’t see how it applies to them.
  4. No Satisfaction- The prospect (or people they know) has made decisions before that ended badly. 

Too often, salespeople don’t take the time and effort to research what the customer wants or needs. They fail to ask questions that uncover the buyer’s position, situation, or true desired state. Frankly, they spend too much time talking about themselves, their company, and how awesome they are, and too little time focused on the actual buyer. Buyers sense this immediately and throw up one of the 4 barriers, killing the deal. 

In order to overcome these barriers salespeople must recognize that our engagements have to be about the buyer. Thoughtful preparation must take place. At each stage of the selling process sellers need to do a check to ensure they have proactively addressed each potential barrier. They have to prepare in a way that makes the buyer feel comfortable, relieving tension that is often felt during the selling process. 

Think about it this way…..to address the 4 obstacles a seller should be thinking about the buyer position this way:

  1. No Trust- The prospect has to believe that you are someone they trust enough to do business with. 
  2. No Need- The prospect has to believe they even have a problem that needs a solution. 
  3. No Help- The prospect has to believe that your product or solution will actually help them accomplish with they’ve been tasked to do. 
  4. No Satisfaction- The prospect has to believe that your solution will not leave them with buyers’ remorse. 

Now, before your next sales call, prep n a way that reduces the likelihood of these barriers from ever coming up. Do the research, do the prep, and put yourself in the buyers shoes. 

At WinSource we teach sellers a methodology that not only shows how to overcome these barriers but to avoid them entirely. The model for our methodology is below. We’d love to show you more. 

Stay tuned for the other 4 sales imperatives. 

If you’d like to see the rest of the series or read more blog posts from The WinSource, you can find them here.

Please subscribe to receive future posts directly to email.

Ideas, comments, and questions are always welcomed! Happy Selling!

Sales Leaders- Want to see your team do something amazing? Here is a way to make it happen:

Create a buzzer beating moment.

Pick a sport, any sport….the most intense moments in any sport are often in the last seconds of the game. Search Google or YouTube and you will find tons of videos that show full court shots, photo finishes, amazing end zone leaps, super human jumps that snatch balls that should have gone over the wall, and goals or saves made that defy what mere mortals could be capable of. We watch these moments on the edge of our seat during overtime, sudden death, and while we keep one eye on the countdown clock.

We hold our breath knowing that often in these moments people show us their best.

[bctt tweet="We hold our breath knowing that often in these moments people show us their best."]

The game of sales can be long. If you want to see your people do extraordinary things, you have to set up buzzer beating moments every once in a while. Sometimes these moments happen naturally, like at the end of your fiscal year, end of commission period, etc. However, as sales leaders (coaches) we have an obligation to really push our people. You will have to create those moments by setting expectations, breaking big goals into smaller milestones, and running contests. Do something that will ratchet up the intensity. Those unbelievable moments not only contribute to game winning results, but they also make our salespeople realize they are capable of accomplishing what seemed impossible.

When was the last time you did that? When was the last time you set up a nail biting, breathtaking moment so your salespeople could show you some of the amazing things they are capable of? You are probably due.

If there is anything you’ve successfully done in the past or if you need ideas on how to inspire your team in the future, we should talk. I’m always game to discuss sales!

 

If you’d like to read more blog posts from The Win Source, you can find them here.

Please subscribe to receive future posts directly to email.

Ideas, comments, and questions are always welcomed! Happy Selling!