Thoughts On Sales

You know there are many philosophies on selling these days. Books upon books have been written on different processes, techniques, tips, etc. Even for the seasoned salesperson it can be quite confusing and frustrating. Does cold calling work? Does it not? What is the most effective way to get to the decision maker? How do I get past the gate keeper? How do I improve the close ratio? It's enough to make your head spin and keep you tossing and turning in bed at night.

It took me a while through trial and error, but I have been enlightened to a few things that may help you as you read through the next great sales book or attend the next hot seminar on selling for 2010.

Style:
We all have a "style" like it or not. Some of us are more direct, others are softer, some are introverts and some are extroverts. Each of us has our own way we feel most comfortable to communicate. What works for one person may not work for another and understanding and accepting those differences is the key to making you a more effective salesperson. I call it "filtering your leanings."
Yes....I said "filtering." What does that mean? It means that some techniques are just not for you and reading about those techniques (while good information) is not something that you will employ and act on. If instead you have a clear understanding of your style you will find that you can filter out those techniques and styles that just don’t align with you and instead focus your energy into learning styles that are complimentary to your personality and style. You will soon find that the seminars you attend and the books you read will be much more focused and eventually fruitful.

Think Pragmatic:
In this fast paced world we live in we rarely take the time to step back and look at the situation from a practical standpoint. Case in point....I read a sales book once that said it takes 10 touch points to get the decision maker to call you back. Let’s think about this pragmatically. If I called you 10 times or called you 8 times and sent you 2 emails or emailed you 7 times and sent you 3 flyers would you call me back? ….probably not. You would more likely ask me to stop calling or put a block on me. This is also a lot of work for a prospect that may not even be of value to you or you to them. A better approach is to put yourself in their shoes (simple idea that has been around for years) and ask yourself what you would want to hear if you were on the receiving end of any communication. How would you like to be communicated with? What would motivate you to call back?

Think about this.....
There are companies out there making millions of dollars these days to improve the "customer experience" yet very few that look at sales the same way. What kind of experience is your prospect getting from you?

Build Networks for You!:
As we sell it is easy to get hyper-focused on performance, sales quotas, new clients, etc., but as sales professionals we also want to build our own clients. That is to say the relationships we build in our sales role can be a strong personal network of our own as we change jobs, look for key resources and look for mentors /sounding boards. Selling is not just about making the organization you work for profitable, it’s also about making "you" more profitable. Think of yourself as a business inside a business.

Happy Selling!