We’ve often heard in business that “increasing sales cures all ills,” and many times it’s true. Selling techniques play a vital role in whether you will succeed in getting more revenue.
I read an interesting article in Forbes that addressed the “10 Essential Selling Principles Most Salespeople Get Wrong.” Correcting each of them will give you advantages over your competition. We should all strive to implement sound selling techniques to build our businesses.
I would suggest if you have anyone selling your services, you join that person on the next couple of sales calls to see if any of the 10 points below are happening:
- Assuming the problem the prospect communicates is the real problem. It is normal and natural to assume this. But you should look deeper into each scenario. Before diagnosing and offering how we can address their challenges, we have to ask more questions to get at the root of their problem and bring value to the prospect by supporting their true goals.
- Thinking your sales presentation will seal the deal. You should always be helping the prospect discover the best reasons to buy from you — not telling them why they should. The prospect should think they’ll buy from you long before you present your final pitch or proposal.
- Talking too much. At the start of a relationship, salespeople think they need to be doing all the talking when they should be listening and asking questions. If a prospect wanted a rundown of your services, they could just visit your website. The sales process is a conversation, and needs to be an honest and open one.
- Believing you can sell anybody anything. A prospect must go through a period of self-discovery before deciding your service is the right solution. Resistance is pre-programmed and people don’t like to be told what to do (or buy). The best approach is to ask key questions or relate third party stories that allow the prospect to “discover” the benefits and advantages of your services.
- Over-educating the prospect when you should be selling. The initial goal in selling is to find out why and under what circumstances the prospect will buy from you. First ask questions and then share your materials and specifics.
- Failing to remember salespeople are decision makers too. Every step of the way through the sales cycle, a salesperson must make critical decisions as to whether to continue investing time in the relationship with the prospect. If a salesperson is a poor decision maker, the lack of clarity and decisive action will be mirrored in the prospect’s behavior. The shorter the selling cycle, the more leads you will close over time.
- Reading minds. Always get the facts from your prospects about what they need and why. When your prospect is vague, politely ask for clarity. Veteran salespeople are often the culprits of “reading minds” because they think they’ve seen it all. When you jump to conclusions, wrong assumptions will lead to wasted time at best, lost opportunities at worst.
- Working as an “unpaid consultant” to close a deal. Salespeople will be in situations where a prospect asks for additional work and information before making a buying decision. The prospect must be asked to picture a scenario where you complete the additional groundwork and provide a solution that fits everything the prospect needs. Then what happens? Will they buy from you? If they can’t envision pulling the trigger even after you’ve done the additional work, or if they’d still need another step in the process, it may be time to walk away.
- Being your own worst enemy. Never blame the prospect for stalling the process. Instead, look inward. It’s the job of the salespeople to assure the prospect and address detours. The only way to streamline the process is to refine your sales approach and technique.
- Keeping your fingers crossed a prospect doesn’t notice a problem. The only way to avoid a potential disaster is to address it before it erupts. Always be open and transparent if problems arise along the selling cycle.
Ron Sorci is the founder and CEO of Miami-based Professional Consulting Resources Inc. (www.pcrforyou.com). A former senior executive at public and private companies, Sorci most recently worked as CFO of Aventura Worldwide Transportation in Miami. He also served as President of the National Limousine Association from 2009-2010. He can be reached at Ron@pcrforyou.com or (786) 229-3662.
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