Customers Expect More
What makes a successful salesperson?
I've often asked that question at seminars, and the answers have
been all over the ball park.
"You've got to have the right product," some say.
It helps. But we've all known salespeople who went broke trying
to move superb products and others who could make fortunes
selling ice cream on an iceberg. A really good salesperson can
rack up more sales with a mediocre product than a mediocre
salesperson can make with the greatest product in the world.
"You've got to make plenty of sales calls," others say. "The
more calls you make, the more sales you'll get."
As a general rule, that's true, but it doesn't go far enough. If
you think about it, the more passes a quarterback throws, the
more passes he'll complete.
But a quarterback who completes three out of four passes will
put points on the board much more regularly than one who
completes one out of four, even though both may throw the same
number of times. A baseball player who hits .350 will cross the
plate much more frequently than one who hits .200, even though
both take the same number of swings.
Similarly, a salesperson's success doesn't depend on the number
of calls. It depends on the number of sales. An effective
salesperson and an ineffective salesperson may make the same
number of calls, but it's the effective one who eats steak and
lobster instead of hamburger.
Still others say, "you've got to master the mechanics." That
helps, too. But mastering the mechanics won't put you on top of
the sales charts unless you master the right mechanics.
In today's market, as in none before, it is crucial that we
learn selling savvy. The sales environment has changed radically
in four distinct ways:
1. Customers are better-educated, more sophisticated, and more
value-conscious.
In other words, they are harder to please; they want more for
their money.
Think about your own demands as a consumer. You insist on
quality goods and efficient service. You don't want some slick
con artist trying to trick you into buying a product or service
you don't want or need. And you don't want to be abandoned after
the sale.
You expect follow-up service. If something goes wrong, you want
to know that the salesperson and the company are going to stand
behind the sale.
This means that salespeople have to stay on top of their
markets. They have to be knowledgeable about the products and
services they are selling. And they have to be honest, and
sincerely interested in helping their customers find value and
derive satisfaction.
Customers expect more from us than ever before.
2. Competition is stiffer.
Customers now have so many options that price will always be the
deciding factor -- unless you can offer a strong differential
advantage.
With companies producing similar products at similar cost, it's
getting tougher every day to offer substantially lower prices
than the competition does.
That means that you have to offer something that sets you apart
from all the other salespeople who are trying to get your
customers to buy from them. You have to provide quicker service,
more up-to-date product knowledge, and better follow-up.
It's not enough to provide products and service as good as those
of your competitors. Yours have to be better -- a lot better.
Moreover, your customers must acknowledge the superiority of
your products and services, and the object of your presentation
should be to lead them toward that recognition and
acknowledgment.
If you can't lead your customers to that acknowledgment, you
won't get the sale, no matter how good your product. Your
success in selling depends less and less on the product your are
selling, and more and more on your skills as a salesperson.
3. Technology is rapidly replacing peddlers
People are buying more through direct mail. And such media as
interactive television and the Internet are making it possible
to buy almost anything you want by pressing a button or clicking
a mouse.
Companies are no longer looking for peddlers to handle items
that are much easier to sell by phone or through the mail. In
many cases, they're setting up self-service systems that can be
operated by clerks.
Of course, there are plenty of very good opportunities for
really sharp salespeople who can sell with power and skill,
especially in the industrial field.
To be successful as a salesperson, you must find ways to
distinguish yourself from the inexpensive clerks and the
commonplace peddlers. You must rise to the challenge with
proficient skills, depth of knowledge and a positive attitude.
4. Time has become a priceless commodity -- for salespeople and
for their customers.
Prospects don't want salespeople wasting their time. And if
you're serious about becoming successful, you don't have time to
wander around showing your products or services to anyone who
will look at them.
To survive in today's volatile marketplace, you need a clear and
effective strategy. You need the skills to implement that
strategy. And you need the know-how to make that strategy work
for you.
When you acquire and apply these things, you're demonstrating
selling savvy.
Five Ingredients for Selling Savvy
What do we mean by selling savvy?
The answer lies in five ingredients that are vital to your
team's success as professionals:
1. Selling savvy is understanding the selling process well
enough to approach it as a highly educated professional.
2. Selling savvy is understanding people well enough to
influence them to buy.
3. Selling savvy is knowing how to execute.
4. Selling savvy means developing street smarts.
5. Selling savvy is having the self-discipline to carry out
every detail of your strategy all day, every day.
Professionals Versus Workers
I often draw the distinction between a person with a worker
mentality and a person with a professional mentality.
Workers tolerate their jobs as burdens to be endured for the
sake of putting food on their tables and roofs over their heads.
Professionals see their jobs as rewarding components of their
lives. Their careers and their personal lives complement and
support each other. Their jobs are part of who they are.
Workers wait to be told what to do. They don't reach out for new
responsibility, because they don't want responsibility. They
take care of their own immediate tasks without worrying about
how their tasks affect others in the organization. In fact, they
don't see themselves as part of the organization. They see the
organization as an outside entity that may have a negative or
positive impact on their lives. They refer to it in the third
person: as "it" or "them," and not as "we." The organization is
something they have to respond to, although they're not a part
of it.
Professionals see themselves as part of the organization. To
them, the organization is "we." When it succeeds, they succeed.
When it suffers reverses, they feel the reverses.
People look up to professionals because they recognize them as
being good at what they do. They're good because they've walked
the extra mile toward excellence. They absorb information about
their chosen fields, and they share their knowledge with others.
They're jealous of their images and are always careful to avoid
compromising them. To be a professional, you have to look like a
pro, communicate like a pro, and exude the confidence of a pro.
You must set a high standard for yourself and never allow
yourself to fall below that standard.