Sales Blog with Sales Tips

As sales professionals we constantly put a positive spin on our company and its products and services. We can’t help ourselves; it’s how we’re wired. We’ve been trained to do this since our first days as sales pups.

While this habit is admirable and ingrained in our psyche, there are times when we need to set it aside.

The power of positive speaking won’t always give us the results we’re looking for.

Here’s How I Got In Trouble
I’ll never forget a sales presentation I made to a group of telecom engineers. I was new to sales and felt like I was at the top of my game. I was prepared, presented well and hit all the points I wanted to cover. That PowerPoint was the culmination of all the best sales tips I had ever heard.

But I made a major mistake.

I failed to tailor my presentation to the audience and covered only the points I wanted to cover.

Sales Tips 101: Not All Audiences Are Created Equal
Whenever we go into the “salesy” mode with engineers and their ilk, they immediately hit their cerebral off-switches. Why? They have little need to feel good about a purchase. They want to objectively weigh the positives and negatives before buying.

They want facts.

There’s A Place For Negatives
People who primarily operate in the world of hard data want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly. They won’t make a decision if they hear only one side of the equation.

Wouldn’t we prefer that our customers and potential customers hear the bad and the ugly from us rather than our competitors anyway?

When I was speaking to those telecom engineers I needed to give them both sides of the t-chart. They would have at least listened to a balanced and accurate assessment of my product’s strengths and weaknesses.

Instead, they didn’t process a word I said.

The Paradox
Ironically, when we reveal a product or service weakness it gives us more credibility. This is especially true for technical audiences.

They assume if we’re willing to divulge a weakness, we might be worthy of their trust.

They might really listen to what we have to say as a result. Now, we’re talking their language.

©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

Find a New Sales Job

“Happy” doesn’t cut it anymore with customers. They want more than to merely be “happy” with you and your company. This is especially true when it comes to strategic accounts.

The old cliché, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” could not possibly be further from the truth when it comes to sales.

If you don’t see any areas for improvement with your customers, you aren’t looking hard enough for their points of pain. Providing solutions to your key customers will help you on your way to making them ecstatic.

9 Sales Tips For Knowing Whether Customers Are Happy Or Ecstatic

1. Ecstatic customers will remain loyal to you, even after you’ve royally screwed something up.

2. Ecstatic customers always think of you first when they have a new need.

3. Ecstatic customers will give you great referrals without your asking, both within their company and externally.

4. Ecstatic customers have your cell number and home phone number. They also have you on their speed dial.

5. Ecstatic customers will give you a heads up on your competitors’ sales activities.

6. Ecstatic customers always keep you informed of upcoming projects that affect you.

7. Ecstatic customers are upfront about their real budget for your products and services.

8. Ecstatic customers never beat you up on price.

9. Ecstatic customers never make unreasonable demands; they’re never high maintenance.

Sales Tips Wrap Up
Think of it as a goal. Focus on your most strategic “A” customers that aren’t already ecstatic and get them there.

©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

There are two highly overrated myths about sales. Unfortunately, most sales professionals operate as if they are both true.

Myth #1, First Impressions Will Make Or Break A Prospect
Recent research is showing that first impressions in sales are not nearly as sacred as we once thought. We can screw up that first 30 seconds a little and live to see another day with the prospect.

The reason for this is easily understood as we explore Myth #2 below.

Myth #2, Without Extraordinary Verbal Skills, A Salesperson Will Never Make It
The 1990’s model of selling required all of us to be “silver tongued devils.” We all know the type, “Mark could sell someone his own underwear; he is such a smooth talker!”

Prospects hate this kind of salesperson.

Why We Can Discard Myth #1 And Myth #2

• It’s 2010. Buyers realize they don’t need you to have Ryan Seacrest’s gift of gab; they need a sales professional who is knowledgeable and can actually help them with their points of pain.
• During a recession it’s what we know, not what we show, that matters to decision makers who are trying to rebuild their businesses.
• Most companies are aggressively reducing the number of suppliers they rely on and the size of their purchasing departments. Robin Williams is great to watch on late night TV, but if all we have to offer our prospects is a well-crafted monologue, we’ll find ourselves out on the street.
• While relationships are critical, buyers are aware that our ability to help them is more important than our ability to speak like Zig Ziglar and wear a suit.

It’s Global
Our prospects focus on our “go power,” not our “show power.” They’re doing this because they are operating in a more challenging global market than ten years ago. Our ability to perform a stellar introduction or speak like Barack Obama is slipping on our prospects’ scale of what’s important.

Sales Tips Wrap Up
Sure, our first impression is important. But it’s not everything. We can recover from a bungled one. Prospects are looking for value.

Sales Tips Post Script
There is an additional benefit when we are more realistic about the significance of first impressions. It gives us the freedom to relax a little when approaching a prospect for the first time. In the process, we ironically become more effective at first impressions.

©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer