Do you see what your customers see?
Have you ever caught a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and thought, do I really look like that? Maybe you saw a photo of yourself and thought the same thing? Unfortunately, mirrors and pictures don’t lie.
What if you could see yourself in the middle of a sales call? Would you see yourself with two ears and one mouth, or the other way around? Do you talk too much? Do you interrupt? Do you ask enough questions? Would you sound just like the salesperson that represents your competitor? Do you work to discover how your products and services help your customers? When you watch yourself give your fantastic elevator pitch, do you see the customer thinking, “So what”?
If you were able to see yourself in a real situation, would you be delighted? If not, make changes!
Ask Questions! Don’t rely upon assumptions. Before you speak with a prospect or customer, plan five open-ended questions you would like to ask over and above the questions you usually ask.
Silence is golden! When you ask your customers a question, allow them time to think if they don’t answer right away. Wait until your customer is finished speaking before you respond. Do you tend to say, “mm hmm”, or “uh huh”, when someone is speaking to let them know you are listening? This is called chirping. Chirping is distracting. Don’t chirp when someone is speaking. You will glean more from your prospects and customers if you maintain eye contact and listen quietly.
What are you doing to set yourself apart from the competition? How are you different? What value do you bring? Know this. Be able to explain your value concisely.
Embrace that you are there to help your prospects and customers. Ask questions to determine what is of value to your customer. It is imperative that salespeople understand the benefit.
Paint compelling word pictures. Practice using words, concise stories, and questions to connect emotionally with your prospects and customers. Help your customers visualize benefiting from your products and services.
Go a step further and attend a Sales Concepts program. Our programs are designed to help you see yourself in selling situations. We customize our courses for each individual. Attendees sell their services and products, away from the group, in one on one situations and receive powerful feedback regarding how they perform.
What would you want to see if you could catch a glimpse of yourself selling? Sales Concepts gives you that glimpse! Work to make it a reality.
