The Biggest Myth in Sales
Did you hear the one
about great salespeople being great talkers? They have the gift of gab and
they dazzle their customers into buying anything. Some salespeople even
believe it. It's the biggest myth in sales. Here's how it got started and
why it is a myth.
News travels
fast. The poor salesman seems to leave a
more lasting impression on the customer than the great salesperson, who
makes selling look easy. Poor salespeople get remembered for their
excessive talking and the word gets around. The myth is
born.
These poor salespeople
start talking about all they know the moment the sales call begins. They
want to impress the customer with all their knowledge, thinking that
selling is one-sided. Selling starts when you learn what your customer
knows. Only when you hear what your customer needs should you start
talking about your product or service. To really give yourself enough to
work with, you should hear 3 needs before you begin your presentation. The
way to do this is to question and listen.
Looks like I'm not doing
anything. Some salespeople think they are selling and
doing something only if they are talking. You are doing something when you
actively listen. There are actual physiological changes in the body. Body
temperature, heart rate and blood flow slightly increase with active
listening.
A good listener
focuses on the speaker and tries to determine what the speaker means. A
good listener wants to gather clues about the speaker's message without
judging. Try to gather clues about the speaker's feelings behind his
message. Paying attention to nonverbal communication will give you more
clues that you can use.
Enter with an open
mind, ready to hear what your customer has to say about his business and
job. Even though we know what we want to say in our selling message, we
have to be flexible and respond to what our customers tell us. Selling is
not a random event. Have several alternatives ready to provide solutions
that meet your customer's needs.
Your job as a listener
continues with providing feedback to the customer to check your
understanding of his message. The feedback shows the customer what you've
heard. This gives you an opportunity to correct any misunderstandings.
It's also an opportunity to build a stronger communication bond when the
salesperson taps into the customer's correct emotions.
The salesman's job as
a listener is to translate what we hear from our customers into how our
products and services can help them. Selling starts with our customers,
not with us. If we're talking and not listening, we'll miss the clues. The
myth of the salesman being a great talker got started by poor salespeople.
Unfortunately, the great salespeople have to deal with this myth. Maybe
they can address this myth while they're off golfing. That's another great
myth.
Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales
professionals on skills and strategies so they can sell more and be more
productive at work. She is the author of Real-World Selling for
Out-of-this-World Results which is available at
www.BestatSelling.com. She founded her company Best@Selling in
1997. You can reach her at 972.380.0200 or info@Bestatsellling.com.
Maura Schreier-Fleming is president of
Best@Selling (http://www.bestatselling.com/).
She works with business and sales professionals at company and trade
association meetings to make selling easier and more productive. She is
the author of the book Real-World
Selling for Out-of-this-World Results. She can be reached at 972
380 0200 or info@BestatSelling.com. |
