Knowing your customer is key

Selling is not easy, even in the best of times. In a downturn, the sales force still has to write orders just to keep the doors open.
Professionals have mastered skills that survive tough times. I’ve learned many techniques over the years, none more important than learning about your customer, for which I developed the Mackay 66 Customer Profile. (The Mackay 66 is available on my Web site, www.harveymackay.com.)
You have to use your time wisely, use available technology tools and software. You need to be creative, listen, work hard, have role models, be a self-starter, set goals, plan, be passionate, personable and persuasive, use proper body language and not procrastinate.
Do all those things, and you should be writing orders all day long. But there are a few other things you need to understand in order to be a real competitor.
&#8226 The law of large numbers. In sales, if you can’t be number one, the best position is number two. Position yourself as number two to every prospect on your list and keep adding to that list. I can promise you that if your list is long enough, there are going to be number ones who retire, die, are terminated or lose their territories for a hundred reasons. What I can’t tell you is which one. That’s why I say if you’re standing second in line – in enough lines – sooner or later you’re going to move up to number one.
&#8226 Know the gatekeeper. Any peddler worth her expense account tries to reach up as high as she can on the corporate ladder, as orders from headquarters can carry the day. But those of us who use that tactic have also learned that the higher up we go, the more likely the decision-maker we’re trying to reach will have a trusted assistant trained to block access. Make gatekeepers your friend. Treat them with dignity. Respect their power. Try to work with them to get your mission accomplished.
&#8226 There’s no business without show business. No one ever sold anyone anything by boring them to death. There are a lot of similarities between showmanship and salesmanship. A first-rate salesperson has to deliver a great performance. Look at all the industries that rely on showmanship. Restaurants often hype their atmosphere more than their food. But what if your product isn’t glamorous, like envelopes? During a Photo Marketing Association trade show in Las Vegas, our PhotoPak Division had a Black Jack table at its sales booth. The give-away? A deck of cards that said, “MackayMitchell has a deal for you.” &#8226 Yes, no or maybe. When you’re selling, obviously, the best thing your prospect can tell you is “yes.” But do you know the next best thing? It’s “no.” The worst thing he can say is “maybe.” The person that says “no” frees you up to go on to the next prospect. I’ve seen a lot of young salespeople spend inordinate amounts of time chasing after the prospect that says “maybe,” when Mr. Maybe isn’t ever going to buy. He’s what we call a “Porcelain Egg” – an egg that’s never going to hatch. Every salesperson has prospect lists full of Porcelain Eggs. An exercise that has helped me is to review my last 20 or so sales calls. How many were closed on the first three calls? The next five calls? If my average is around five calls, and I’m still carrying some prospects that I’ve called on 20 times, it tells me it’s time to quit calling.
&#8226 Ask for the order. Even the best hitters in baseball can’t hit the ball unless they take a swing. Many salespeople excel at making their presentations but when it comes to crunch time, they have a lump in their throats bigger than a Nerf ball. They pussyfoot around hoping the prospect will say “yes” without even being asked. What a wonderful world it would be if that were the way it was. &#8226

Mackay’s Moral: There are no jobs until someone sells something.

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Harvey Mackay is the author of The New York Times’ No. 1 best seller “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He can be reached through his Web site, www.harveymackay.com, by e-mailing harvey@mackay.com or by writing him at MackayMitchell Envelope Co, 2100 Elm St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.