Selling has come a long way since the days of ‘foot in the door’ and ‘pyramid scams’ Today it is a highly regarded, sophisticated profession and yet to many people, it is still full of stereotypical ‘slick hustlers’ However, there is no doubt that in recent years there has been a major sea change in the ‘selling process’

We will work with you on a one to one basis for as long or as short as you want to become better equipped for 21^st Century selling. We are now living in the digital age. Information about products and services is now available at the touch of a button, as is what people think about you. A few minutes using Google and the idea of you being able to bamboozle Prospects with unique selling benefits and hard pressure techniques is now so out of date it is almost laughable.

So why is it that despite the constant constraints on time and money, Organisations are happy to put up with complacency, misleading statements (some would say lying) and ineptitude to try and improve their profitability? After all, no one eats unless someone buys. 

The whole nature of selling has changed. The style of John Patterson, founder of the National Cash Register Company (NCR) and the first to coin the term ‘sales spiel’, namely a standard way of selling products or services no matter how little experience the sales person had. Transactional selling has all but been driven out by Relationship Selling – a concept first introduced by Dale Carnegie in his 1937 book ‘How to win friends and influence people’  In his book Carnegie considered that all people (customers) are different and therefore have varying perspectives and needs.  This is a vital concept for modern day selling.

The concept of Relationship Selling is based on building rapport with the potential client or Prospect. This does not mean the few minutes spent talking about the weather or the price of fuel, but the long term relationship developed by having a clear understanding of the customer’s real or perceived needs and then being flexible and responsive to those needs. 

Selling today has never been more demanding. It therefore follows that as the business environment becomes more challenging so the sales person needs to continually improve the skills and techniques that win them the business and make them the money. 

So what are these skills? 

While the constant update of product knowledge is important, it’s the interpretation of this information that makes the difference between ‘I’ll think about it’ and ‘when can you start?’ Sales people today are seen as trusted consultants and advisors. Very few people buy anything today without checking first on the Internet. No one likes to be sold a ‘pup’, no one likes to pay too much and certainly no one likes to be ‘over – sold’ 

So what are the key attributes needed to be a successful sales person in the 21^st Century?  

Many sales people are still quick to talk about the product and its features. The first thing (and sometimes only) thing they think about is problem – solution. This is probably because they talk rather than listen. And yet, the more we understand the other person's situation, aims and feelings, the more likely we are to develop rapport and trust with them – the whole basis of ‘relationship selling’ The outdated sales persuasion techniques puts the ‘influence’ in the hands of the seller ('influencer') with the result that the ‘purpose’ (product or service) may or may not be in the best interests of the customer.

In other words, outdated thinking (and, for some, unfortunately, current thinking) primarily focuses on influencing the other person (customer) to adopt an opinion or to take action that favours the seller, irrespective of whether this is in the genuine best interest of the customer. Research indicates that only around 30% of sales people practice consultative selling while no more than a third of those achieve trusted advisor level with their customers.  

Sales people, today, are advisors, relied on for their integrity and commitment. While some sales people can still get away with their charisma and charm, the results are usually short term. A product dump sales person will rush the close with very little thought for the ‘relationship’. It’s the sale or nothing. No thought for any future sales or recommendations. Unfortunately, for many this is the picture they have of a ‘salesperson’  

Buyers are looking for more than the features versus benefits dialogue. They are searching out reasons why they should (or should not) buy your product or service.  Selling is about ensuring the buyer is fully involved in the decision making. This means a combination of skills. 

The majority of salespeople today fully understand the need to be liked, after all people buy people, so they work hard on their personality traits. They also know that the importance of credibility so they ensure they concentrate on alleviating the FUD factor (we’ll tell you what that is when we meet). They also plan the sales call backwards. Top sales people meticulously plan before they make the call. If possible, they will research the Prospect and have a plan of action already in their mind before they pick up the phone to make the appointment. 

They then start preparing the ‘close’ and work their sales ‘pitch’ backwards. They consider the long term benefits of the sale. We will introduce you to Stew Leonards who famously sees a price ticket hanging from his customer’s ears, showing what they will spend with him over their lifetime. As he says, dealing with a $100,000 rather than a $50 customer tends to focus the mind. 

We’ll work with you to produce a preparation strategy. 3 key steps designed to create quantifiable and achievable objectives, produce time frames that accelerate the close and techniques that help you find out the customer’s actual and / or perceived needs and then consider how you can help the Prospect fulfill these needs. 

A major criticism of the ‘transactional approach’ to selling is that it lacks honesty and integrity and can, therefore, be susceptible to manipulation - and not sustainable. The question sales people should ask themselves is - is our purpose (and responsibility) to exploit people - or to help people?  Therein lays the major difference between early (and still-practiced) traditional selling, and modern collaborative, facilitative ideas that offer the most effective, sustainable and ethically sound concepts for today's business world

We will help you make more of YOU