We came up with, “Views to Becoming a Beneficial Partner.” A quick reminder of why we are in the business we are in – to help people.
View One — Be Real
People can tell when you are being fake. Creating a strong client relationship based on trust and respect goes a long way. People buy from people they like. Sell from your prospect’s point of view. Think of what would keep you up at night if you were them and how your solutions solve their problems.
View Two — Connect
Whether in email, text, or face-to-face conversation, powerful connections with clients are still the foundation of selling. Be clear, concise, and knowledgeable with a consultative approach will foster that connection. Having regular communication in between sales activities increases the likelihood that you will earn repeat business. You aren’t selling; You are advising and being curious.
View Three — Listen
My Dad taught me, “You have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that ratio.” You should talk less and listen more. Listening is one of the easiest thing’s humans can do. Yet, many of us aren’t great at it. Listening empathically allows you to determine a client’s true need, and discover more about their buying style. The better you listen, the more buying signals you’ll uncover.
View Four — Ask with Purpose
The most valuable commodity anyone has is time. Don’t waste time asking rudimentary questions you already know the answer to, just to open the conversation. State what you know about the current business reality. Then ask pointed questions about those areas of pain. Once you ask the question, don’t talk. Even if it feels like the void of silence is miles wide, let the other person think and respond.
If it helps you to listen better, don’t hesitate to take notes. This allows you to track your meeting details and notice trends.
View Five — Explain the ROI
Salespeople tend to talk a lot about the features of their products. But a great salesperson will talk in terms of ROI first and features second. For example, talk about how much time is saved in implementation with a fully-hosted turnkey solution, or how much money is saved by not having to hire an IT person to manage your time and attendance software.
Just because you can sound like the engineer that built the product doesn’t mean your customer cares. They care about time, cost, and quality. Focus on those.
View Six — Understand the “Why?”
It’s old school, but true. People buy on emotion and rationalize the purchase on logic. Becoming a business partner with your clients allows you to understand the “why” faster..
Yes, when a client buys your solution, they save money, save time, or create a better product. But ask, what does that get them, personally. That is the emotional piece that will help more the sale forward faster.
View Seven- Close!
Various surveys have been run by sales training companies; As it turns out, the two things sales people hate most are closing and cold calling. The biggest benefit from partnership selling is that the close comes naturally. The segue from the “why” to the close is seamless and quick. When done well, you’re not the one asking for the close. The client is asking you when they can start or receive delivery.
Clients and prospects accept a meeting because there is a problem they need solved. The outlined views aren’t guaranteed ways to close more business, but they are a reminder to make sure that we think in terms of the other person’s needs and not our own wants.
These are the Views we realized help us sell more. Hopefully, you found them helpful.
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