By Paul Bunn
Numerous sales trainers and coaches will tell us that to be successful in selling, we must believe in ourselves, and also believe in our product and/or services. Self-belief and self-confidence equal more sales. There’s just one key belief missing.
We have been in search of a CRM customer database system and have visited several websites and other information sources looking for a suitable system. We made some calls and received calls from a few vendors offering their solutions. Nearly all of them went like this:
Salesperson launched into his or her pitch, trying to get me to attend a demo, busily trying to tell me what’s so great about their offering. I clearly stated that I had no interest in a demo. I just wanted to match up our requirements to their features as quickly as possible, then watch a demo that shows those features, and buy the system that was the best fit. A one-size-fits-all demo of undetermined length would be a complete waste of time, for both of us.
Every vendor call went generally the same way. I asked for a short set of bullet points on the features of their system…I received a dozen-plus slide PowerPoint “brochure” and an invitation to another demo. Every successive call was an exercise in the salesperson trying to get me to fit into his sales cycle, and to get me excited about the product.
After all, I’m making a long-term purchase requiring a significant commitment of time and resources. Enthusiasm is a nice feeling, but it won’t last as long as a database system that takes a month to get fully implemented, only to find out that it doesn’t deliver what we need and want. Enthusiasm doesn’t last. Reality lasts. And reality is what is purchased, especially the ones that require long term investments of time and money.
This opportunity wasn’t lost by those salespeople…it was ignored and abandoned. How many of those do you run across, and seldom even notice their presence?
The solution of course is to listen to our prospects; and then believe what they say. Even if what they tell us it isn’t what we want to hear right now; even if they don’t mirror our excitement and enthusiasm and conviction. Keep your ears open for the prospects that are looking for someone to work with, who know generally what they want to accomplish. Make it easy for them to do business with you. You’ll differentiate yourself from all the rest. And, if you’re going to abandon something, make it your agenda and not a willing prospect.
Take the easier and more profitable path. Sell to the ones that are ready to buy. Save the rest for next time. How do you do that? It’s as simple as “Believe in your prospects.”
If you want to learn the process and mindset of top producing salespeople, you want to learn more about High Probability Selling.
Until Next Time…Sell Well
Jacques Werth – High Probability Selling
Copyright 2007.
Tags: How+to+sell, The+secret+to+selling, Selling+and+Persuasion