… unless, of course, you are selling something for their own personal use. Here is why:
• Their incentive is to save money. i.e. reduce your price
• They don’t know much about the use of the product or service beyond what is written in the specifications.
• They don’t know anything about the problem your product or service is designed to fix.
• Your value proposition is lost on them
• Once you start in the purchasing department, it is virtually impossible to get to the end user without causing the purchasing department to be upset.
They are an important part of the sales process. You will probably end up dealing with the purchasing department. Just don’t start there.
Archives for April 2013
Never Call on Purchasing Agents
April 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Worst Time To Talk About Money
April 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The worst time to talk about money is after you have delivered the proposal or quote. If the price was too high then you will find yourself backpedaling as you deal with sticker shock. Negotiations will ensue (Hopefully they will … the prospect could just say thanks and disappear!) concessions will be made, margins will slip, time will be lost, credibility will be harmed or else the prospect will just go somewhere else. If the price is too low … you may never know about it. However, you will have left money on the table. If you gave the goldilocks price (just right) … consider yourself lucky. The best policy is to discuss money before you ever sit down to write the quote or proposal. None of the problems above will happen and you will be goldilocks every time. Here is a one-minute video that expands on the point.
What Is The Ultimate Salesperson?
April 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Optimal Salesperson® is a professional who consistently achieves ever increasing sales goals with ever decreasing effort. In short,the Optimal Salesperson® is characterized by effortless high performance. Optimal salesperson status is a quest not a designation or a badge.
The Optimal Salesperson® has specific written goals for life for the next 5 years and for the current year, quarter month and week. She is motivated to achieve those goals because they mean something to her or to her family or because she is driven to succeed and sales are the yardstick. The Optimal Salesperson® knows exactly how much sales activity must be accomplished to achieve his goals. He has an effective sales process he uses consistently, and a repertoire of sales skills to make his sales system work. And, like all professionals, he constantly seeks to upgrade those skills by working on his “game” in his off times when he is not in the “game”.
The Optimal Salesperson® realizes that she has hidden weaknesses and belief systems that will render her sales process and skills less effective than she would like. The Optimal Salesperson® therefore constantly seeks to identify what those belief systems are, and works tirelessly to overcome those hidden weaknesses by putting the emotional effort in which is required to overcome them.
The Optimal Salesperson® realizes that every time he overcomes a hidden weakness, the effort to achieve a particular sales level decreases, his comfort zone expands, more is possible, and more emotional effort is available for family and the pursuit of happiness outside of sales. Thus the Optimal Salesperson® creates a virtuous cycle for him or herself and family.
