Willie Loman, the protagonist in Death of a Salesman, needed only a calendar, an order book and a phone to conduct business. The film Glengarry Glenross portrayed salespeople as liars and lazy. Chris Farley’s Tommy Boy was a comic fool. Is it any wonder prospects have a negative perception of sales people?
What are you doing to avoid being lumped into those images? In your industry there are competitors who are probably conducting themselves very much as you do. Being seen as different from the usual carpet salesperson, pharmaceutical rep, or financial advisor will take you to a different plane and set you apart. It will also take some work to make it happen.
Here are a few thoughts about conducting your business and your thinking differently than the other guy.
#1 – Make sure your mind-set is in the right place.
Before you go on a sales call make sure your head is in the right place. Be genuinely curious about the human being you are meeting with. That is being “them-focused.” Your goal should be to listen more than you speak. People buy from people they like; the less you talk, the more they will tend to like you.
#2 – Avoid Happy Ears!
Salespeople tend to hear what they want to hear and tend not to probe deep enough. They hear the slightest positive statement and inflate it in their head. Many times prospects will say things like, “This sounds very interesting. Call me after the holiday.” The sales person hangs up the phone excited yet the reality was that the prospect nicely blew them off. Salespeople spend far too much time chasing non-prospects. Neither party wins in that case.
#3 – Get into the buyer’s shoes.
Reverse your perspective. What might the buyer be feeling and why? What emotions is the buyer revealing? If you were the buyer and had to deal with a salesperson like you, how would you feel? Empathize with these feelings.
#4 – When attacked, respond from your head, not your gut.
If the buyer is manipulative, sarcastic and aggressive, do not respond in kind. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly and ask this question: “Can you please tell me what happened to make you feel this way?” If you feel manipulated, stressed or uncomfortable, bring it out in the open. If you think the buyer is feeling pressured, bring that out in the open. After clearing the air you can move the process forward.
#5 – Listen to your “coach.”
Listen to your inner voice of reason and objectivity – your coach. Your coach wants you to make the sale, and doesn’t want you to waste time and energy protecting your ego. Listen empathetically to the buyer and respond non-defensively.
#6 – Debrief each call.
Before you jump to your next sales call, stop and write down what you did well, what you could have done better and what lessons you learned from the call. By doing this after each call and reviewing your notes periodically, you will begin to do a more effective job on subsequent calls.
Image credit: Steven Depolo via Flickr
