There are three types of mindsets when it comes to sales.
Please identify which you relate to most. If you get type 3, hop off the internet and put your feet up on your desk to sip on caffeine.
Type 1:
“I just wasn’t born a salesperson – I’m not persuasive”
“I’m too introverted to sell”
“I hate selling, it feels icky”
“I have to ASK for the sale? Maybe if I keep jabbing they will offer to buy”
Wow! What powerful mantras to fill your head with.
Let’s hope your client can’t smell your fear as you pick up the phone, call in, or send that email.
Type 2:
“I’m so persuasive I could sell ice-blocks to an Inuit”
“I DOMINATE. The customer doesn’t stand a chance”
“I sell because my customers like me, they see me as a friend”
“Right hook, right hook, right hook, jab!”
Glory be to you and your ego – we do love your energy but think it could be channelled in a way that is a little less… narcissistic. If not, there may come a day when talking a big game does not match your closing ratio or just as importantly, the retention of a client.
Type 3:
“I am learned in the science of the sales process and that overrides any personality flaw or flair. I can confidently identify where a client is in the process and walk him through to the next step, or see if we should keep walking at all, without taking personal offense.”
Good, you may go.
The question is: What is with the stereotype of a salesperson having to be “pushy”?
Let’s break down what the science of sales looks like when done right.
And let’s integrate it with modern tools such as inbound marketing via the internet etcetera.
The truth is, sales is not persuasion. You could argue that Marketing is. And in a way that inspires the audience to think purchasing from a particular brand was their idea in the first place.
And if marketing has done a good job of warming potential leads up with great content, it makes the sales job a lot breezier.
Sales, however, is simply a process.
It is not about hyping yourself up and pitching as fast as you can while not letting the other party so much as get a word in.
It is about asking questions.
Good questions.
You need to see yourself as less like a motivational speaker and more like an online quiz.
Here is your product/service, there is their need, do the 2 fit together?
No? Well then better not try to coerce them into it, or they will be disappointed. You might win one sale but you won’t win referrals, reorders, or positive word of mouth.
Your aim is not to convince, but to match.
“He who is convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.”
If yes, the two are a match, both parties will see that, because both parties have been communicating; both asking each other questions.
The buyer is not suspicious of being duped when the seller has been honest about what they can and cannot offer, all along.
And asking for the sale becomes less cold and out of the blue that way. The timing of when to ask will feel more obvious and natural, too.
It’s a no from me.
You might have heard of companies coming to the revelation that a no is not always bad news, especially if the seller is the one to say it!
If it does not look like the best fit, or you doubt you can truly serve their needs long-term, then tell them.
Disqualify them.
Interestingly, this can have two positive results: they either find a way to prove that your offer is indeed a fit, essentially selling YOU on serving them; or, they appreciate your honesty and send referrals or other business needs your way.
It is harder to do this with confidence if you don’t have clarity around who you can serve best versus who is not an ideal client, but that can be addressed with a thorough strategy (which we are happy to facilitate if you feel you need help defining that).
This article has only scratched the surface, so we will be back with more on this topic.
Drop us your thoughts, experiences and questions below.
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