INSIDER TIP OF THE WEEK
As sales people, the following ideas have been fed to us as truths all of our lives. Maybe they were, but even truths can evolve and these definitely have:
- People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. People don’t care how much you care if you don’t know what you are talking about. Relevance is the sign of real value. You have to care enough to know their business, market, industry, competitors and customer. Skip the part about their kids, sports and next vacation. Be relevant and valuable.
- Always be closing. People quote this line from the movie “Glengarry, Glenn Ross” as a sales maxim. They forget the character who said it was a quintessential jerk. “Always be solving, always be valuable” is the replacement. Closing is an outcome of a process that solves the customer’s problem so clearly that they move at your speed or faster for purchase.
- Focus on the person in the room who controls the biggest budget. In the new world it is not the person with the biggest budget who makes things happen. Often times it is the person with the power to block. Focus on the “no” person and you will get further.
- Activity equals productivity. Just because inactivity equals stagnation does not mean the opposite is true. Activity just means activity. Productivity is a result of the right things being done at the right speed with the right people. Focus on that first and volume second.
- It’s all about relationships. That’s like saying “life is all about breathing.” No, it’s not. Life doesn’t happen without breathing, but it’s a lot more than that. So is selling. Selling is less about relationships and more about problem-solving than ever. Relationship building happens differently and less than ever. We golf, drink, travel, joke, eat and attend less with our clients than ever before. They want problems solved, not shared entertainment.
For further reading on winning a buyer’s attention and securing their business, read my blog, 5 ThingsCustomers want to hear.