Archives for April 2017

Baseball players can’t hit the ball if they hold the bat too tightly, Golfers can’t putt if they squeeze the club too tightly and pianists can’t play well if they think too much. The most effective sales calls happen when salespeople loosen up and act naturally and are not tied to a particular script or sales process too rigorously. You need to have a process. But you need to be loose and free to listen and react to what you hear the prospect say. If you are too “tight” (read thinking too much) you will miss opportunities in the conversation to delve into deeper conversation about what matters most to the prospect. A “tight” salesperson is prone to pounce on a problem with a solution rather than ask for further details about how the problem affects the prospect. A “tight” salesperson will work to solve problems as they are presented by the prospect on a sales call rather than probe how the ramifications of the problem are affecting the organization as a whole. So loosen up, have fun, be yourself, listen and respond to what you hear.

People at different organizational levels have different concerns and your conversations at each level should be different, even if the product or service is exactly the same. Most executives don’t have time for the details and many worker bees can’t see the big picture. For example, the end user of a software package might be concerned with the ease of use of the system and how it will modify the work flow of his department, whereas, the VP who has to spend the money, might be focused on overall efficiency of the department and reducing headcount. You wouldn’t want to talk about reducing headcount to the end user and the executive might not care about the details of how the system worked. As a side note, you may not need the technical expert when you meet with the vice president, but she may be essential when meeting with the end user of the system or the IT department of the company. It is imperative that the optimal salesperson feel comfortable in both arenas and be aware of the different levels of conversation.

Belief is essential to success in sales. If you don’t have belief, you will not be convincing when you speak about your product or service. Your lack of belief will communicate itself through your tonality and body language. In short, you will not be believable if you do not have belief. But Belief in what? First you need belief in the product or service you are selling. I think everyone knows that. But in addition, you must believe in your company. You must believe in your company’s ability to deliver the product on time if you are a distributor or manufacturer and you must believe that you can deliver the results you claim if you are a service provider. But the most important belief you must have is your belief in yourself. You must believe that you belong in the meeting with the person you are talking to. You must believe that you have the ability to carry on the conversation at the level it needs to be held. And you must believe that you have the ability to make this sale. If you don’t have belief in yourself, then it will be very difficult to even have the chance to exhibit your belief in your company and your product.