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Wold-be entrepreneurs all have high levels of creativity, drive, enthusiasm and motivation. In addition, they are by nature risk-takers. However, many entrepreneurs lack some of the essential skills of selling and hence often turn out to be unsuccessful in their new ventures.
Perhaps this is why Sir An Sugar, in his highly successful The Apprentice series on UK television, often sets the contestants selling tasks. Perhaps it is the ability and the skills necessary to sell which marks out those entrepreneurs who are destined to succeed in business.
According to Patrick Joiner, Chief Executive of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management,
“The most essential ski of selling is to put yourself in your clients shoes. (This is indeed, where many entrepreneurs f down) They are often people with a special knowledge about their industries or a technology that helped them to come up with their business ideas. But being totally fired up by their own products, they’re locked into seeing it from their own perspective. Being very driven and enthusiastic means they can come across as overbearing.”
He continues,
“You should always be trying to build a relationship with your customer. You need more than just meting different or o cost or even effectiveness in selling - the market changes quickly and you will keep these advantages for only so long. What you need most of all is a good relationship with your customers.”
Today, a sales force must have a wide range of skills to compete successfully. Gone are the days when salespeople required simple presentation and closing skills to be successful. Today selling requires a wide array of skills.
1.) Customer retention and deletion - many companies find that 80 per cent of their sales come from 20 per cent of their customers. This means that it is vital to devote considerable resources to retaining existing high volume, high potential and highly profitable customers. Key account management has become an important form of sales organisation because it means that a salesperson or sales team can focus their efforts on one or few major customers.
At he other end of the spectrum, companies are finding that some small customers actually cost te organisation money. This is because servicing and distribution of products to hose customers may push costs beyond the revenue generated. Larger companies may have to change to telemarketing and/or the internet as a means of servicing these small customers or drop them altogether.
2.) Database and knowledge management - the modern sales force needs to be trained in the use and creation of customer database, and how to use the internet to aid the sales task (e.g. finding customer and competitor information). In the past salespeople recorded customer information on cards and sent in orders through the post to head office. Today, technological advances such as email, mobile phones and video conferencing have transformed the way knowledge is transferred. Laptops mean that salespeople can store customer and competitor information, make presentations and communicate with head office electronically. Furthermore, information supplied by the company, such as catalogues and price lists, can be held electronically.
3.) Customer relationship management - customer relationship management requires that the sales force focuses on the long-term and not simply on closing the next sale. The emphasis should be on creating win-win situations with customers so that both parties to the interaction gain and want to continue the relationship. For major customers, relationship management may involve setting up dedicated teams to service the account and maintain all aspects of the business relationship.
4.) Marketing the product - the modern salesperson is involved in much broader range of activities than simply planning and making a sales presentation. Indeed, face-to-face presentations can now sometimes be replaced by information presented on web pages and by email attachments that give the customer up-to-date information on many topics more quickly and comprehensively, and in more time-convenient manner than many face-to-face interactions. The role of the salesperson is expanding to participation in marketing activities such as product development, market development and the segmentation of markets, as well as other tasks that support or complement marketing activities such as database management, provision and analysis of information, and assessing market segments.
5.) Problem solving and system selling - much of modern selling, particularly in business to business situations, is based upon the salesperson acting as a consultant working with the customer to identify problems, determine needs and propose and implement effective solutions. This approach is fundamentally different from the traditional view of the salesperson being a smooth fast-talker who breezes in to see a customer, persuades the customer to buy and walks away with an order. Modern selling often involves multiple calls, the use of a team-selling approach and considerable analytical skills. Further, customers are increasingly looking for a system solution rather than the buying of an individual product. This means, for example, that to sell door handles to a company like Ford a supplier must not only be able to sell a door system that includes door handles as well as locking and opening devices but also have a thorough knowledge of door technology, and the ability to suggest to Ford solutions to problems that may arise.
6.) Satisfying needs and adding value - the modern salesperson must have the ability to identify and satisfy customer needs. Some customers do not recognise they have a need. It is the salesperson’s job in such situations to stimulate need recognition. For example, customers may not realise that a machine in the production process has low productivity compared to newer, more technologically advanced machines. The salesperson’s job is to make customers aware of the problem in order to convince them that they have a need to modernise the production process. In so dong, the salesperson will have added value to the customer’s business by reducing costs and created win-win situation for their company and the customer.
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Lets point them out 1.) Enthusiasm, 2.) Self-motivation, 3.) Industry, 4.) Determination, 5.) Self-believe, 6.) Impact, 7.) Empathy, 8.) Honesty, 9.) Knowledge, 10.) Creative, 11.) Conscientious, 12.) Mentor.
What it is Empathy? – these days, more than ever we are selling solutions. We are not overtly selling, we are putting people in a position where they want to buy. A great salesperson will demonstrate empathy to show that they understand the customers problems and can deliver an efficient and cost-effective solution. Displaying empathy is one of the best ways of developing rapport with anyone; a little bit of consideration and genuine concern goes a long way.
Honesty - great salespeople are honest. They don’t over-egg the solution; they make realistic claims and don’t state the competition. They are always genuine and truthful, which conveys sincerity to the customer and augments their personal credibility.
Knowledge - a great salesperson has to be knowledgeable, not simply about their company and their product or service, but about the competition and their industry as a whole. They have to be knowledgeable about their customer, the problems their customer faces and any other factors that could influence the sale or their relationship with the customer.
Creative – in order to be a great salesperson you need to be able to think on your feet, adapt to different situations and be creative in the way you approach things. In the current economic climate ‘doing’ what we’ve always done’ won’t work for salespeople or businesses. Thinking outside of the box and delivering genuinely innovative solutions will definitely score points with customers.
Conscientious - a great salesperson will be reliable and diligent. They will always respond to a customer’s problems and see them through. A great salesperson will be particular with paperwork, assuring that the necessary is completed accurately and to time.
Mentor – above all else, a great salesperson should always be a mentor to his or her developing colleagues, willing to share their experience and help others to achieve great success also.
all in all, the difference between great and good is really about attitude, application and attention to detail.
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In the previous post was explained what it is Enthusiasm, Self-motivation and Industry and why do we need these keys/factors in our behaviour. Now I’m going to talk about Determination, Self-belief and Impact.
What it is (key no 4.) Determination - you have to be determined because a lot of the time you will need to make yourself do things you don’t necessarily want to do. It’s your determination that will help you surmount the many obstacles that will get in your way throughout your sales career; things will not always go smoothly and you will need to be able to push yourself on because there won’t always be someone there to do it for you.
5.) Self-belief - great sales people believe in themselves. They know where they are going, they know how to get there and thy know what they have to do to get there. Great sales people will have set goals and objectives. above all else, they believe that they will get to where they want to be. having this deep-seated self belief assists a great salesperson display characteristics to their customers, peers and management, which will help them on their way – characteristics such as self-assurance, conviction and passion.
6.) Impact - the ability to make an impression and influence people is essential for a great salesperson. When you walk in to a room you have to make a difference; people should show interest when you enter the room because you project an aura of success. Once you are in the room you must present your arguments with authority, indicating that you know your subject and your recommendations can be trusted. You must at all times maintain credibility and act with integrity.
Look forward to seeing you soon on next 6 remaining keys to be successful in selling.
R.K.
What it is that makes a great salesperson distinct from the many good salespeople?
There is no doubt that, in most organisations, there will be particular salespeople who are responsible for a significant proportion of the sales. The rest of the sales team will often believe that the individuals have the best accounts or the best territory, but it is likely that they will actually have some of the key qualities that really make a great salesperson – qualities that we can all develop.
12 key qualities that I belive will bring out the greatness in a good person.
1.) Enthusiasm - It is absolutely essential that you are enthusiastic. It’s important for you because if you are enthusiastic about what you are doing you will enjoy what you are doing. It’s important for your team because enthusiastic is infectious and your enthusiasm will inspire the rest of your team. and it’s important for your customers because they need to see that you are enthusiastic about your company and the product or service you are selling.
2.) Self-motivation - it’s so important that you are self-motivated. Whilst I believe it is possible to enhance someone’s motivation and, conversely, de-motivate them to an extent, I don’t believe that you can instil self-motivation where there is none. You are either self-motivated or you are not, and it’s essential that you are.
3) Industry - great salespeople are industrious people. They are hard-working and productive, they start early and finish late, they don’t take long lunches and they always put in a good day’s work. One of the key differentiators between good and great is more. Great salespeople do more, they are likely to work smarter, but they will also work harder. Some years ago sales trainers were forever telling us to ‘work smarter not harder’. Well, actually there is no substitute for doing both.
Next post will include another 3points which bring change on your style and sales process as well as on your closing ratio. see you soon…
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I the previous post we talked a bit about personal branding, exchange and delving deeper to close it up we gather add Reputation nad Guide. What it is? What does it mean? and How important it is in building brand around yourself ?which ultimately leads to ‘being bought’ – look below…
Reputation - it’s vital to create your own personal brand and build your reputation so that you will be instantly recognisable as a distinctive brand in your own market place, no matter where or when that is. A personal brand makes sure that you always have the same persona and style. It’s a method of self-help, improvement and personal promotion for both employees for both self-employed and employed salespeople.
A personal brand represents your promise of how you will run your business and personal life and what customers, your employees and managers can expect salespeople.
You will encourage people to be attracted to you and what you offer, if you get this right. Personal branding is a powerful tool you can use to promote yourself as an individual first of all; then anything you are attracted to – or whatever you are doing – will have elements of your brand, so sustaining your performance.
Guide – there is now a Useful Guide to Personal Branding if you want some help in developing how you and your company come across and how people, prospects and customers perceive you.
The guide includes a downloadable MS Word tool-kit with exercises to help you along the way and also has an online questionnaire which you can use to gain valuable feedback from your colleagues, regarding their perception of your personal brand.
By using the advice and exercise in the guide, you will be able to measure the changes in the perception of your brand brought about by your actions.
Just to let everyone know that these content of this post is different from the other one posted few months before on my other blog, to avoid confusions.
Why do people go into business? To make the world a better place for us all as someone said.
People such as Richard Branson have a dream of opening up space flight to everyone, Steve Jobs at apple is passionate about making the us of technology simple with style and, of course, Avis ‘try harder’, so we all get what we want when we hire a car.
It is this bigger picture that allows us to generate the passion and enthusiasm needed for successful sales. It is those who understand their dreams and the bigger picture, who will actually make it: the rest of us have the vision but find reasons why it did not work out the way we had imagined…
Exchange – business is all about exchange: a two-way exchange of information, products or services, at least, needs to take place for us to be communicating. This can be done over the internet, between individuals or within complex operations, such as you might find in multi-million pound sales deals stretching over worldwide organizations. It’s branding that creates a positive environment for that exchange to take place.
YOU as the salesperson are the product that you are marketing, which is why there is so much power in getting the right personal brand for yourself. Maybe your situation at the moment is you are looking for another position, ie you want to offer your services with a potential employer in exchange for a salary.
Or, you may be looking for someone with expertise who is going to advise you. In this case, it is you who will be making the payment for the brand you choose.
Delving deeper - in the spirit of confronting problems with honesty and delving deeper, we may even be able to take the mistrust out of sales training by building personal brands.
Branding really is everywhere, from large multi-nationals to small and medium-sized enterprises. All organizations rely on what their salespeople do, say and how they behave day in, day out to represent their brand. But what f these same salespeople do not have their own brand in place?
How can they ‘listen to the client’, or ‘use the appropriate behaviour’ or stand a chance of understanding the customer if they do not first understand themselves and what makes them tick? Only by seeing your difference can you recognise what you can use as leverage in selling situations.
In next part we will talk about Reputation and Guide
Caroline Railton has an enviable track-record in sales. She argues that we need to establish our own personal brand to be successful at selling which I absolutely agree with.
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Understanding language in international selling
A key ingredient in international selling is a command of foreign languages. As the former German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, once said, ‘If I am selling to you I will speak English, but if yo are selling to me dann mussn Sie Deutsch sprechen!”
Salespeople also need to understand both the nuances of the foreign language and the silent language. A salesperson needs to know that Japanese ‘yes’ often means ‘no’, but that a Chinese ‘no’ often means ‘yes’! silent languages are also important as the following example illustrates.
A European salesperson visits a Saudi businessperson to sell him machinery. The Saudi offers the salesperson coffee which is politely refused(he had been drinking coffee earlier). He sits down and crosses his legs exposing the sole of his shoe. He passes sales literature to the Saudi with his left hand, asks about the Saudi’s wife and stresses the need to make a quick decision.
Unwittingly, the European has offended the Saudi five times. He turned down his host’s hospitality, showed disrespect, used an ‘unclean’ hand, was over-familiar and showed impatience with his host. Although the Saudi may realise that the actions were unintentional, the salesperson is left in a weakened position.
