For years, I've interviewed my customers' customers to
find out what they like and dislike about my customers' sales
teams. After all, no one can tell you how to sell better than your
customers. Based on that feedback, here are five universal factors
for selling success:
1. Knowledge: Customers
expect you to have broad knowledge about how your product is made
and used or how your service is applied; about your company, its
background and its selling policies; and about your industry as a
whole.
Customers also expect you to understand their business,
customers and competition. They want a rep who understands their
company's positioning and target markets without resorting to
regurgitated information. As one customer said to me, "I want
somebody who can explain the product without going through 100
pages of studies, charts and graphs. I need to understand how the
product is going to work for me."
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To give yourself a knowledge boost, spend 30 minutes with a
valued customer, and ask him or her to tell you how you can improve
your service. It will be the most educational half-hour you'll
ever spend.
2. Empathy: Empathy is
developed by improving your listening skills. When you ask targeted
questions, listen carefully to the answers. Once you know your
customer's goals and challenges, you can tailor your
presentation to that customer's specific needs. Don't
forget that your customers have pressures and stress— must
weigh many factors in the decision-making process. Be sympathetic
to that fact, and do whatever you can to make the process easier.
Always let your customers talk, and take notes on what they say.
Concentrate on discovering what's most important to them at
this moment. Let them know that you understand their concerns and
will do your best to help alleviate them.
3. Solutions: You're not
just selling products or services; you're selling solutions to
problems. It's your job to find ways to make customers'
lives easier, help them expand their businesses, grow their
customer bases and take their businesses in new directions. One
customer told me about a salesperson he admired: "This person
went to meetings at our company— meetings she could attend.
She learned about other departments and the bigger picture of our
company. The solution she gave us was based not just on our goals,
but on the company's goals as well. She exceeded my
expectations of what a salesperson could do."
4. Hard work: Customers
appreciate salespeople who put in extra effort and sometimes extra
hours. They like to know they can reach you early in the morning or
late in the day. They want to know they can get 110 percent effort
from a salesperson who cares about them and their business. Extra
effort builds credibility. I know one salesperson who installed
equipment on a weekend so he wouldn't interfere with his
customer's business. The customer was so appreciative of the
salesperson's hard work that he bought several more products
worth many thousands of dollars.
5. Straight talk: Be honest
with your customers. Over and over again, customers say they want
to know upfront all the details of any agreement. They'll go
back to a vendor who made a mistake and owned up to it, but
they'll rarely do business again with a salesperson who misled
them and tried to cover up an existing problem. Simply put, honesty
is the glue that holds every relationship together.
Top-rated sales, management and motivation speaker Barry
Farber (www.barryfarber.com) is author of Superstar Sales
Secrets and Diamond Power.