Do you think that you have what it takes to be a good salesperson? In this Expert Insight Interview, Melissa Kirk discusses how to know if someone is the right person for sales. Melissa runs Melissa Kirk Consulting company, offering comprehensive capabilities and industry knowledge to help people solve their most complex issues and create success.
The interview discusses:
- Connecting with people
- Being authentic and committed
- Embracing the silence
- Adapting to customers
The Connection
The best salespeople are the ones who naturally connect with people, listen to their problems, and help solve them. Connecting with others is such a huge part of sales. People will always choose to do business with someone whom they trust even if the product or service is cheaper somewhere else. Connecting with others means being able to see their perspectives and understand their needs. No amount of product or service knowledge can replace the value of adding the personal touch, listening, and understanding a customer.
Authenticity and Commitment
The sales industry became much more virtual nowadays due to the pandemic. And this new virtual environment requires more effort and commitment to the people. It means that you have to be your authentic self because buyers can easily see through salespeople who fake it. People can notice in your questions and your replies whether you are committed to them. Sometimes they talk about one thing, which is only a symptom of the much bigger problem. However, you won’t realize that unless you are willing to be patient and dig deeper. Discovering and solving the main problem builds even stronger relationships with your clients and earns more trust.
Embrace the Silence
Another important thing in sales is the ability to handle the silence. Many salespeople are afraid of silence and want to fill it in, but that would only undermine the previous work. It is crucial not to break off the silence. Giving a moment of silence allows your customers to think, deal with their internal thoughts and feelings, and give you more authentic answers. Thus, enabling you to address the problem more authentically as well.
The Ability to Adapt
All people are different and beautifully unique. Thus, good salespeople adapt to their customers. For instance, use the language that your customers use because that is how they feel heard and validated. Some people process and do things faster, while others have a slower pace. Adapt pace to the customer. Moreover, some people are analytical while others are more intuitive – provide them with the experience they want. In conclusion, the more you focus on making a difference for people, the more you will sell.
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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