Behind their assertions of self-confidence and annoying arrogance is an undeniable fact: It takes guts to get the endless unknowns and oddities of customers. But that’s what salespeople do.
No one sets out to lose a sale. But it happens. That’s why recognizing the danger signals can help avoid unnecessary losses. Here they are:
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Deciding who will buy and who won’t. No one dislikes disappointment more than salespeople. So, they come up with the clever little trick to avoid it by claiming they can tell if a customer is going to buy or not.
This thought process helps avoid the downer of disappointment. It also erases the need to analyze what you could have done differently to get the sale.
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Assuming the sale is a sure thing. Because selling is a tough game, salespeople are prone to believe that by having “the right attitude” they can influence the outcome of a sale.
Unfortunately, this approach keeps the focus on the salesperson and takes it away from the customer. It’s counterproductive if they try, and it may send a signal to the prospect that the salesperson “isn’t all there,” which is exactly the case.
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Playing the “friend game.” The salesperson’s mission is to present a compelling case for winning the order, not to make a friend or to feign friendship just to get the sale. Impress the customer by being laser focused on the customer so that you thoroughly understand the business and the issues and can differentiate yourself from the competition.
• Quitting too soon. For serious salespeople, the “Urgent” sign is lit up all the time. Get in, get the order and get out. And it’s understandable and even commendable because that’s what gets the job done. But not always.
There are times when you can be too sure of yourself and overly confident. After giving it your best effort, you decide the prospect can’t make a decision or isn’t serious. Then, three months later you find out the person bought from a competitor.
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Failing to ask discovery questions. Some salespeople can’t wait to get to the good stuff – their sales pitch. They’ve been through the drill so many times they find it distracting and a waste of time getting bogged down in asking a lot of discovery questions. The purpose of discovery questions is not just to qualify prospects, but to engage them so they are talking about what’s really important to them – their business. Here are four examples:
• Why did you agree to meet with me?
• What sets you apart from your competitors?
• Are there changes going on that affect your business?
• What problem are you trying to solve?
All of which is to get the right person (the customer) talking and the right person (the salesperson) listening. If you’re listening, you’re learning. When you do that well, you will know what to do to make a winning presentation.
• Dispensing solutions. When customers have a problem, they are primed to look for quick, easy, low-cost solutions. You might call them “low-hanging fruit” or, more appropriately, “easy prey.” This is why salespeople armed with appetizing and tasty solutions get their attention.
Unfortunately, instant-fix solutions are like pills we pop to take away the pain. Customers want to believe they work, but, as we so quickly discover, they only disguise it and it doesn’t take long before it’s back.
If there’s a single objective in sales, it’s to empower customers to make decisions that are in their best interest.
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Giving customers what they say they want. In the age of the smartphone, there is no need for salespeople who are merely “transactors,” who literally give customers what they ask for, and whose function is to scan barcodes and say “thank you.”
The smartphone age brings the essential role of the salesperson into sharp focus and, surprisingly, it’s not new. The sales task is that of the specialist, the one who serves as an authentic resource customers can trust.
John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com.
