Whenever you meet new sales prospects be sure to focus on establishing rapport and building relationships. Most salespeople overlook the importance of these two priorities early during the selling process.
Instead of reaching for your sales brochures try reaching out to your sales prospects by demonstrating your interest and curiosity about their business and their customers.
Look, most sales don't happen during the first sales call - so why even bother to attempt closing the sale.
You'll turn more heads and build better customer relationships if you avoid doing these seven things.
1. Avoid selling too early. Gee, why does everybody try to sell something during the first sales call? If it's been your experience that 95% of your sales are never made during the first sales call - you should carefully consider what you're doing during this first sales call.
Just because your business card tells the world your a professional sales representative is no reason to start selling during the first call. It would be wiser to use the first call to establish some credibility and to start building a customer relationship with your sales prospect.
2. Avoid talking too much. One of the most common mistakes new and even veteran sales reps make is to talk too much. Sure you were hired to sell. But where does it say the true definition of selling begins with talking?
It doesn't begin with talking, it begins with listening.
Listening, more than anything else. It shows you're interested in the person you're talking to. It shows you're interested in his company. It shows you're interested in his customers. It's easy to misinterpret why somebody is talking too much. It's impossible to misinterpret someone who is listen carefully to what you're saying.
3. Avoid asking the wrong questions. Ask any sales representative which is a better question to ask when you want to get more information from a sales prospect, an open question or a closed question - and the universal response will be an open question - which of course is the right answer.
In practice however most salespeople lead with closed questions. For example: who is your current supplier, what's your budget for (insert your product), how many (insert your product) do you buy a year, I think you get the picture.
And if that's not bad enough, how does it make you feel to learn that almost all salespeople start with the same questions? Well it shouldn't make you feel superior to competitors.
4. Avoid forgetting to do the little things. One of the quickest ways to grab a new sales prospects attention is to do little things for him. Within 24 hours of your first sales call you could send him an e-mail thanking him for anything except his time - because that's what most salespeople do.
If you are able to schedule the second meeting during your first sales call, you could send a personal hand written note confirming your second meeting within three days. You could also send a general interest article (something you think she might like to see) within seven days and including a note that says "F.Y.I - thought you might be interested in seeing this."
5. Avoid talking to the wrong person. The best advice I can give any sales person is to start at the top of an organization when you're trying to get your foot in the door. Most salespeople do just the opposite because they fear being rejected by the woman at the top. Most people at the top, get to the top, because they are excellent delegators.
Sometimes the people at the top have more time to see you than the people they are delegating to. If you start talking to the wrong person, a person who is not a decision-maker, and you begin to build a relationship, it becomes extremely difficult to wiggle your way around this person to see the ultimate decision-maker.
6. Avoid defending your price. During my sales training programs I usually start by asking the salespeople to tell me about their biggest challenges. Within 10 minutes I usually hear about the dreaded price objection. What some salespeople don't recognize is they are so afraid of the price objection they usually bring it up first, without even realizing it.
You can never win the price war by defending the price.
You win by explaining the value of the products and services you're selling. You win by changing the rules of the game.
You see most people will pay a higher price if they believe they are getting a higher value. So always focus on the value of doing business with you and your company.
It's even better if you can quantify your value in dollars.
7. Avoid not having an attitude of gratitude. This is a big one. Don't be too busy to say thank you. In your daily sales effort, there are so many people you can thank along the way.
You can thank the receptionist for getting you into see the decision-maker. You can thank somebody in your customer service department for helping one of your customers. You can thank a sales prospect for placing his first order and becoming a new customer. You can thank your customers every time they place a substantial order with you and your company.
You can find out how long your sales prospect or customer has been doing the work he's currently doing and send him an anniversary card every year. Now that would blow him away!
You'll build stronger and longer lasting relationships with your customers if you avoid doing these seven things. You'll also differentiate yourself from your competition, because they're probably doing these things.
It takes time to build a strong relationship with your customers. It'll take you less time if you avoid making these mistakes. It'll also take you less time if you really get to know what your customers need and want.
Find out why your sales prospects and customers need something and you'll soon discover why they want it.
"Jim Meisenheimer is the editor of http://www.startsellingmore.com a website focused on common sense selling skills based on practical ideas that get immediate results. You can get more information about his sales tips and selling strategies at http://www.startsellingmore.com/sales-tips-plus.html - Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact."
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
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