Softer Side of Selling

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Sales Skills: All Buying Decisions Are Emotional

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“Yeah, right!” You’re thinking this is a bunch of hooey: “all buying decisions are emotional.” “My customers give a lot of thought about what they buy from me.” Or “It’s how I present the opportunity to prospects that convinces them to buy.” Or “When the price and benefits align, that’s when the customer buys.” These are all true statements. But think back to the beginning of a successful sales event. Didn’t you first have to earn the respect of the prospect. Wasn’t your first encounter all about building rapport; getting them to like you enough to be comfortable answering your tough questions? Great salespeople know prospects don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

*A NOTE ABOUT SELLING DURING A PANDEMIC

All Buying Decisions Are Emotional

Even Remotely Great Salespeople Connect Emotionally
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

All Buying Decisions Are Emotional

Yes, that’s true. It took a while for my “engineering mind” to understand it. But think about it. For consumer products marketing works hard to make an emotional attachment to a brand. I like Coca Cola. The real one made with sugar and sold in glass bottles. Now my ability to taste is not particularly well developed so I couldn’t discriminate between Coke or Pepsi in a blind taste test. In fact all colas taste pretty much the same to me. But I only buy Coca Cola made with sugar in glass bottles. This is emotional attachment to the brand is it not? Ever bought a home or a car? Didn’t how you felt about the vehicle or house tip the decision? True after you made the selection, then the rational mind cataloged all the reasons it was a good decision. Still wondering whether all buying decisions are emotional?…

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Sales Skills: Make A Great First Impression

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For the next several months my blog will focus on the attitudes, behaviors and knowledge that makes a great salesperson. Great salespeople know selling is a process. It begins with the first impression you make on a prospect and results in a mutually beneficial long-term relationship. You only get one chance to make the first impression. Whether by phone, video conference, written correspondence or a networking meeting, be prepared to make a great first impression.

Great salespeople make a great first impression

First Impressions Are Very Important
Image From Pixabay

*A Note About Selling During A Pandemic

The Importance Of Rapport

Prospects don’t care how much you know about a problem until they know how much you care about them. This first step in the selling process is called “rapport”. Great salespeople know the importance of the first impression. They are diligent in the preparation for the first meeting. Even before making the phone call to schedule a meeting, salespeople have done research on the company and the prospect. They seek to know whether there is potential opportunity here and the role the prospect has in the buying process. Armed with this information great salespeople are equipped to begin a dialog. Done well the rapport step builds respect for the salesperson and confidence they have the best interest of the buyer at heart….

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Sales Skills: Customer Management

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Great salespeople know about customer management. They have the skill to deal with customers upset with service, quality or price. An email from the Smithsonian Curiosity Council, presented the graphic associated with this blog post. It illustrates results from a survey of members when asked what they would most likely do once the stay-at-home order is lifted. The larger and bolder words indicate the most responses.

A list of words in different font sizes and colors reflecting patrons desire to do after stay-at-home is lifted

What Is The First Thing You Will Do When This Is All Over?
Source:Smithsonian Curiosity Council May 2020

While this blog usually focusses on face-to-face professional sales, I realized that helping customers regain their business is important. So we need to use our sales skills to help our customers reopen. The quicker our customers open for business, the sooner they resume purchasing.

In a recent discussion with the staff of our local Small Business Development Center the question came up of how to treat customers who object to the rules allowing businesses to open. So let’s think about the sales skill of customer management which great salespeople do well. Since this is a skill widely needed by all who interact with shoppers and diners we can help our customers with their customer management….

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Sales Skills: Agile and Adaptive

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Wow, what a challenge for great agile and adaptive salespeople today! Here we are in most places still working from home. Some regions are slowly opening businesses for customers. But health and safety of employees and customers is paramount. Other businesses are on the brink of collapse. Yet many businesses survive and some even thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know the challenge of disruption is not new. Great salespeople have always been agile and adaptive whether the change was gradual over time or catastrophic.

Great Salespeople are expert at dealing with disruption in sales

Rise To The Challenge Of Dealing With Disruption In Sales
Image by Vektor Kunst from Pixabay

What Makes A Salesperson Agile?

Great salespeople are always on the lookout for new opportunities. The fundamental skill making salespeople agile is asking good questions to understand customers and prospects. Agile salespeople are interested in the hopes and dreams of their customers. They use open ended questions to determine the wants and needs of their customers. Having good information about the customer or prospect, the agile salesperson learns how to be responsive to their needs. And finding out there is no problem they can solve is just as important. Then agile salespeople move on to another more promising opportunity….

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Sales Skills: Buyers Need A Compelling Reason To Change

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For the next several months my blog will focus on the attitudes, behaviors and knowledge that makes a great salesperson. I believe that these are fundamental qualities of a great salesperson. And fundamentals are the basis of successful sales whether we are in “normal times” or dealing with a pandemic. Great salespeople know buyers make a decision when they have a compelling reason to change. One of the most valuable skills a salesperson has is the ability to help the buyer find a compelling reason to change.

Great salespeople Find or create the Pain a prospect sees in the current situation

Prospects Buy When Salespeople Show Them The Pain
Image From Pixabay

First Understand The Buyer’s Habits

We are all creatures of habit. Buyers keep placing orders with suppliers who they have come to trust because it’s easy. For years I went to the toothpaste display and grabbed a tube of Crest. Never gave any of the other brands even a glance. Then I developed tooth sensitivity. My dentist recommended I change to Sensodyne toothpaste. I now buy that brand. Think about your own purchasing decisions. What compels you to change? How can you relate this to changing a prospects buying habits?…

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Sales Skills: Empathy

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While most of the country is staying home and industries are trying to figure out the future, great salespeople are practicing empathy. To be sure we are all concerned about the future. Great salespeople are helping their A-list customers survive and plan to thrive again.

Great Salespeople are expert at dealing with disruption in sales

Rise To The Challenge Of Dealing With Disruption In Sales
Image by Vektor Kunst from Pixabay

Empathy

Great salespeople know that empathy is the ability “to walk in your customer’s shoes.” To engage the customer where they are right now. We are “people people”. We strive to understand our customers first then present our value proposition. COVID-19 pandemic is the “elephant in the room.” So don’t ignore it. Begin each sales call with a discussion about the pandemic. How does it affect your customer personally and professionally? Then move on to discuss your value proposition. Great salespeople have the ability to let their humanity lead them in asking good questions to connect on a personal level. They understand customers won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care….

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Sales Skills: Prospecting For New Business

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For the next several months my blog will focus on the attitudes, behaviors and knowledge that makes a great salesperson. I believe that these are fundamental qualities of a great salesperson. Prospecting for new business is important to success in selling. Great salespeople know there are several skills involved in prospecting: getting the attention of the prospect, checking the level of interest or need and setting the first meeting.

Great Salespeople are always asking what's next and then prospecting to find it

Prospecting For New Business Answers The Question Of What’s Next
Image From Pixabay

When Are Salespeople Prospecting for New Business?

The short answer is: “all the time.” The best source of new business is by getting referrals from your best customers. A referral can be to a colleague in a different business or within the customer’s own company. Great salespeople keep their antennae up for potential opportunities. When casual conversation at a social event strikes an interest, the great salesperson says something like: “I’m interested in knowing more about this. But now is not the time. Might I call you to schedule a time to meet?” Read something interesting in a trade magazine, on-line, or in the paper? Make the call to see who the best person is to talk with about the opportunity. Great salespeople keep the prospecting pipeline filled….

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Sales Skills In Times of Uncertainty

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We great salespeople in outside sales typically fill workdays meeting with customers and prospects. The Corona virus pandemic has radically changed that. To stop the pandemic we need to eliminate face-to-face contact.

So what’s a great salesperson to do. My father who was a “traveling salesman” always said: “Son if they have a recession you don’t have to participate.” What he meant was that all of the economy wasn’t affected the same. With this pandemic, it might be more complicated but I think the philosophy is still valid. There are opportunities to be had.

Great Salespeople are expert at dealing with disruption in sales

Rise To The Challenge Of Dealing With Disruption In Sales
Image by Vektor Kunst from Pixabay

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Sales Skills: How You Ask Good Questions

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For the next several months my blog will focus on the attitudes, behaviors and knowledge that makes a great salesperson. I believe that these are fundamental qualities of a great salesperson. Asking good questions and actively listen to the answers is the key to controlling every sales situation. Great salespeople are aware how they ask good questions is as important as the questions themselves.

How salespeople ask good questions is as important as the question itself

How You Ask The Question Is Important
Image from Pixabay

Selling Is Not An Inquisition

Remember you are not there to interrogate the prospect. The goal is to develop a mutually beneficial long-term relationship. How you ask good questions determines the quality of the answer. When you act like the “bad cop” interrogating a suspect you may get the information you seek. But you are not likely to get an order or a long-term relationship….

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Sales Skills: Dealing With Disruption In Sales

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To say the Corona virus has caused disruption in sales is an understatement. In a very short time how we do business has been radically changed, at least in the short term. What is a great salesperson to do?

Great Salespeople are expert at dealing with disruption in sales

Rise To The Challenge Of Dealing With Disruption In Sales
Image by Vektor Kunst from Pixabay

Remain Calm

Great salespeople can be a calming force during trying times. Yes this pandemic will certainly cause lost revenue, companies will go out of business, disposable income will decrease, asset values will fall, and all other sorts of unfortunate events. But salespeople are the best communicators. We need to be a rational influence at this time.

Take Care Of Your Customers

When dealing with a disruption in sales, our first priority is to take care of our customers. Some businesses are shutting down because of the pandemic. Others are increasing production to meet specialized needs to fight the pandemic. And for some others it is business as usual. The role of the great salesperson today is to be in close communication with their customers. Determine what you need to do to react to their changing needs.

  • Shutting down production? Don’t deliver raw materials.
  • Ramping up production? Can you meet the increased demand?
  • Workforce residing at the factory? What is needed to house and feed them?
  • Employees working from home? How can you facilitate this new paradigm?
  • Retirement homes on lock down? What can you do to insure safe delivery of supplies?
  • Medical services in greater demand? Are you offering unique ways to meet the demand?

Great salespeople are in contact with their customers to help them through this trying time.

Look For New Opportunities

When there is disruption in sales new opportunities present themselves. Some of your targeted prospects will become dissatisfied with their current vendors. New markets will arise for traditional products or derivatives of your current products and services. Whatever you do, do with integrity. Don’t be like the guys who bought 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to sell at grossly inflated price. Do find ways to be helpful to the community you live in. Great salespeople always look for opportunities. During this pandemic you might find them in unexpected places.

Learn A New Skill

I’m from the traditional school of face-to-face selling. For the next months that method will be limited. I’ll need to learn how to use communication tools like Zoom or WebEX to communicate with customers. My email communication skills will need a tune up. And I will rely more on the mobile phone for understanding and satisfying the needs of my customers. What new skill will you learn?

We Can All Learn From Each Other

Email me: don@marketingideashop.com with how you are being successful during this pandemic. Or comment on this blog post. I promise I’ll respond and share insights in a future post.

What You Can Do Right Now Dealing With Disruption In Sales

  • Be a calming influence.
  • Be an asset to your current customers.
  • Be aware of new opportunities.
  • Be learning new skills.

To learn more sales secrets read Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling. For even more sales encouragement, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford