Sales Blog with Sales Tips

I don’t mean to ruin the fantasy world you’ve been living in. But do you honestly think your company really makes the best widget or provides the best service on the planet? They don’t.

If this is all you’ve got to offer customers, you’re running on empty.

“Oh, but my situation is different. I work for Mercedes!” Really? Have you seen the initial owner satisfaction ratings and reliability records for Mercedes lately? Even giants fall.

Everyone wants and needs to believe their company is the best. But it isn’t. Now that we’ve gotten that taken care of, let’s move on to why this isn’t a problem.

What Your Customers Really Want
There’s no doubt that customers want excellent quality and service. However, today they value something more highly that falls outside of the products and services your company sells.

Ease.

Customers want to do business with a company that is easy to do business with. They want a sales professional who is a highly communicative liaison between themselves and your company. They want you to even anticipate their needs.

This is part of your “personal value” and it outweighs anything your company can or cannot do for the customer.

Why This Is Relevant Right Now
There are two primary reasons why it’s important to make it painless for your customers to do business with your company in 2010.

The first has to do with the amount of cognitive overload your customers have to deal with today. Decision makers average a total of 200 emails and voice mails a day. Technology is a wonderful thing, but in this regard, it makes their job more difficult. Their brains are overwhelmed.

The second reason has to do with the economy. Decision makers are being asked to do more with less. It is very likely that within the last 18 months they have had their staff size reduced significantly. They have to do the same work with fewer resources.

Sales Tips Wrap Up
There is a payoff to you, as there should be, for making it easy for your customers to do business with your company.

It enables you to charge higher prices and makes your customers stickier. The time and effort you save your customers is something they are willing to pay for. And if you make it a snap to do business with your company, your customers are unlikely to look for another supplier.

You want your customers to think of doing business with you as eeeeeeeeeeeasy.

Further sales tips reading:
Four Levels of Want vs. Need in Sales
Value Propositions, Corporate and Personal

>You can automatically receive Sales Tips Blog by Scott R. Sheaffer >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

Scott Sheaffer’s New Book, “Comatose Management”
—
Six Short Stories of Destructive Management Practices, Volume I
—
Available in printed and Kindle edition on amazon.com
—
—

When I was a freshman sales representative, the VP of Sales told me if I kept 95% of my customers happy, I’d be doing a great job.

That might have been good advice even a few years ago.

It represents 100% bad coaching today. Here’s why.

You’re On Stage And Everyone Is Watching
Things have changed dramatically in the last five years. I’m not sure we fully appreciate how exposed all of our actions have become and the resultant level of customer service that is expected of us.

Because of social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), if the company we work for makes a false step, or we do, the whole world knows about it. Instantly.

Decision makers use social media when purchasing, especially when it comes to capital expenditures. Blunders can have more than a trivial impact on our sales. Have you ever considered that potential customers are googling your name before buying from you? They are.

The old formula that said, “If you provide poor service to one customer they’ll tell 10 people,” is from the Paleolithic era. That number is now unlimited.

When You’re On Stage, There Is No Room For Mistakes
Why do you think film producers and directors are so obsessive about their work? They know that millions of viewers will be watching. With so many eyes focused on their work, shortcomings are quickly reported and exaggerated.

Because of social media, things are no different for us.

Sales Tips Wrap Up
In 2010, customers expect perfection from our employers and us. When I say perfection, I mean just that. No errors. There are too many eyes watching and reporting.

Ensure that you follow what is being said about you and your employer on social media. You can lessen any negative mentions by quickly responding before an ember becomes an inferno.

But don’t despair. All of your competitors are working under the same set of rules. The game can also work in reverse. If you do something great, the whole world can know about that too.

Further sales tips reading:
You Are Better Than Your Company’s Propaganda
The Voodoo Of Selling Added Value

>You can automatically receive Sales Tips Blog by Scott R. Sheaffer >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

Scott Sheaffer’s New Book, “Comatose Management”
—
Six Short Stories of Destructive Management Practices, Volume I
—
Available in printed and Kindle edition on amazon.com
—
—

I hate the term “salesperson.” Sounds empty to me. If we think of ourselves as a person whose primary job function is selling, then we are nothing more than a “salesperson.”

Why Being A “Salesperson” Makes Us Less Effective
The human mind is full of uncharted waters (you need to visit some of my family members if you don’t believe this). However, there are a few things about how we think – and more importantly, how our customers think – that are predictable. The following are “salesperson” behaviors that cause us to stumble.

• People resist being pushed because they are hardwired that way. Crowding and bulldozing customers causes them to instinctively resist.

• Being overly forceful and “salesy” causes us to exude a vibe of desperation. This is not a good thing. Social psychologists have shown over decades of testing that people prefer to buy from successful people, not ones who seem needy.

• When all we focus on is selling, selling, selling – we put ourselves under stress which makes us less capable sales professionals. Stress is circular. It creates feelings that are completely counterproductive. Stress causes fear, tunnel vision, disorganization. I’m amazed at the number of sales managers who think beating on sales professionals will create sustainable increases in sales.

A Metaphor
Everyone is familiar with Chinese finger traps. The harder you pull, the more they grip down on your fingers.

The harder we try, the more determined these traps seem to become.

Customers feel the same way about us. The more we “sell” them, the more they resist.

Sales Blog Antidote
The following three simple ideas will make your job as a sales professional more enjoyable, your customers more responsive and you more successful. These may seem ill fitting at first, but a great pair of jeans takes a few outings before things look and feel right.

1. Stop being “salesy.” Customers hate this. They see it coming 10 miles away. I know many salespersons who think “salesy” must work because people buy from them. No. People buy from them in spite of the “salesy” approach. Your authenticity is what customers want.

2. Instead of always asking questions, start providing answers to your customers. Giving them something they need (e.g. useful and timely information) is the best antidote to looking like a generic salesperson.

3. Provide your customers with service. I’m not talking about the services your company normally provides. I’m talking about helping your customers in ways that aren’t normally associated with salespersons. Give them referrals. Help them find suppliers for products you don’t sell. Find a new way your company can save them money (don’t worry; this will inspire them to find other things to buy from you that will eclipse any losses).

Sales Blog Wrap-Up
See yourself as more than a salesperson who is trying to maximize how much he or she can get from a customer. Turn down the sales volume and increase the “How can I help you?” volume.

Further sales blog reading:
Sales Advice: Is there a “vibe” in sales? You betcha.
Get customer cooperation by “lowering your shields”

>You can automatically receive Sales Tips Blog by Scott R. Sheaffer >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

Scott Sheaffer’s New Book, “Comatose Management”
—
Six Short Stories of Destructive Management Practices, Volume I
—
Available in printed and Kindle edition on amazon.com
—
—

Tiger Woods hit a quadruple bogey recently when he fabricated that little story about his car accident. How he handled this incident has a direct application to sales.

But first, our hats must go off to the public relations and lawyer types who helped him spin the story, “She heroically smashed out the window of my SUV to save my life.” That account of what happened was true…right up to the “to save my life” part.

It’s Not Fair
“Hey, lots of people cheat on their spouse. Leave him alone.” This is a true statement. However, he is positioned as one of the most perfect, capable and meticulous people on the planet (behind Oprah of course).

This “positioning” was necessary in order for him to get the big paying endorsements. He doesn’t have a net worth of $1 billion (about half of that now I guess) because of golf; he’s primarily earned it through marketing himself.

What Was His Big Sales Mistake?
His mistake is the same one I see sales professionals make every single day. When there’s bad news, they don’t tell the customer fast enough. Letting bad information grow in the womb only makes the delivery more painful later.

One of the ways we build customers’ (and fans’) expectations is by what we tell them. A last minute hiccup of the truth requires mental re-programming on the part of the customer. People don’t like unexpected change (fyi, customers are people).

And by the way, while we may not be celebrities like Tiger Woods, we also have to position ourselves with our customers. If this weren’t true, we wouldn’t pay so much attention to our clothes, our car, our demeanor, our words. We hold ourselves to a high standard.

Really Painful Versus Somewhat Painful
When we have bad news for a customer, we can deliver it in one of two ways:

1. We can paint a rosy picture and overpromise. The only thing this does is buy us a little time. The pain of delivering bad news right away is much less severe than waiting until later. By holding back the truth, we become nothing more than liars and unreliable partners.

“You told me this would be ready today and now you’re telling me it will be two more weeks. I’m going to have to close this office temporarily as a result. There is no way I’d ever rely on you again.”

2. We can deliver the bad news immediately. Yes, the customer will not be happy and they’ll go Looney Tunes momentarily, but they’ll get over it. Bad news like this will generate a firecracker, but withholding bad news is a full stick of TNT.

“I am not pleased your company won’t be able to get this website finished when I need it. I could source this around, but you’ve done good work for us in the past. I appreciate your honesty. Can you do anything to shave a few days off?”

Sales Blog Epilogue
It’s easy. Tell the truth to customers. Tell it quickly. This will only help your sales career.

Further reading:
Who lies the most, customers or salespeople?
Why Dogs Make Bad Sales Professionals
Selling In A Recession, The New Authenticity

>You can automatically receive this sales blog >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

Advertisement

Are you satisfied with your sales results?
Kay Ray can show you and your team how to reach
your objectives and unlock the door to success.
thekayray.com