Pete had worked in sales for the last five years - but in
spite of his extensive experience, he was convinced that he
still had a lot to learn. Apart from his innate sense of
curiosity - which had often got him into trouble at school
- Pete particularly wanted to know why some of his
colleagues were consistently viewed as the company's
"superstars".
It made sense to start our work together by looking at how
Pete approached his job - and then comparing his activities
with those of his colleagues.
Pete's employer was a well-established and go-ahead
organisation which retained an active marketing and
promotional department. Regular press and radio
advertising meant that all the sales team were provided
with regular - and warm - leads.
I asked Pete if he had ever accompanied any of his
super-successful colleagues on their sales calls - but he
was quick to tell me that the company's territorial
allocation had meant that no opportunities for "learning on
the job" had ever come up.
While Pete had been on plenty of sales courses, it was
clear that there was still something missing from his
presentation style. Like Pete, I wanted to find the
solution - so I asked him to make a sales presentation to
me, as though I were his customer.
Reaching for his laptop, Pete soon had his beautiful
Powerpoint presentation up on screen - and for the next 20
minutes he took me through his "pitch". Quickly, I began
to understand the problem. Pete's attention was being
taken by his laptop - and his carefully prepared
presentation - and instead of looking upon me as someone
with whom to make a business relationship, Pete's approach
left me feeling as though I was just the "audience"!
I told Peter how I felt - adding, "The best sales people,"
I said, "focus on creating great relationships with the
customers - relationships that often turn into friendships.
The average sales person focuses on winning the sale -
but a great sales person focuses on 'winning the
relationship'.
"While it's true to say that heavy handed sales techniques
can sometimes win an immediate sale, in most cases only one
sale will ever be made to that one customer. And of
course, it is much easier to sell more products and
services to a happy customer than to keep prospecting for
new customers. Therefore, focusing on creating a good
relationship with your customers and clients has to be the
winning formula in the long run."
I asked Peter to shut his laptop and begin our role play
again - this time with him focusing on building a
relationship with me before attempting to tell me about his
company's products.
At first he found it hard - until I suggested that rather
than making statements, he should focus on asking great
questions. "You need to find out what isn't working for
your client - and what his or her problems are before you
can provide them with the solution. And just maybe, you
won't be able to provide a solution to their current issue
- but at least they will feel that you cared and that you
understood what was important to them.
"Building trust in this way is vital if you are going to
build a long term relationship with your customer. And as
you begin to build up a picture of what is important to him
or her, you will know how to approach and steer future
meetings. By building trust - and a relationship - in
this way, you will ultimately become the provider of choice
to your client and you will find yourself making repeat
sales."
And after all, making repeat sales (and of course
up-selling) is the golden secret of all great salespeople.
----------------------------------------------------
Olivia Stefanino is a leadership consultant, speaker and
author of the internationally acclaimed management book,
"Be Your Own Guru". Interviewed on more than 25 radio
stations and featured in "The Guardian", "Natural Health"
& "Red", Olivia is a guest columnist for a number of
national and international publications. Download your
fr*ee e-booklet, "128 ways to harness your personal power!"
by visiting http://www.beyourownguru.com
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