It’s the people, not the product.
What do I mean by this?
As I first got into sales at Purdue University, I had the image of sales people being liars, extremely pushy, and overly manipulative.
As I have dug farther into my sales experience and understanding through various jobs, internships, and learning opportunities, I have found that the new way of sales is extremely different than what it was before.
Note: Learn more about the new way of selling.
Today, I talk about why it is more important to know who you are talking to (your prospect, your customer) than the product.
I am not saying that you should not know everything about your product. You absolutely need to know every single aspect about your product and that will grow over time as you sell. It should feel like second nature when talking about your product.
You need to know the benefits and features that your product brings to your prospects business. At all times, no questions asked.
However, you do need to remember that you are in the people business.
Most people think you need to be an extrovert to be a killer closer in sales. That is not actually the case most of the time. A lot of people that get into sales come from a completely different background and have no clue how to sell or communicate in a sales call.
It really doesn’t matter if you are an introvert or extrovert. Anyone can learn and make it in sales. What matters is how much time you are going to put into learning the game.
Note: Learn more about introverts and extroverts in sales.
I will say one thing, no matter if you are introvert or extrovert, every person in sales needs to have confidence.
Why Confidence?
The confidence you possess in your sales game will allow you to have more freedom in your role.
When you have confidence in sales…
- you won’t get emotional after a strikeout day of no’s
- you will ask the right questions to get you closer to the sale
- you will show your prospect you care and your expertise
- you will feel less “salesy”
Start going into your sales calls with a more confident mindset and it will help you tremendously in your sales game. Steli Efti says “the right delivery trumps the right words” and I could not agree more.
The tonality and energy in the way you speak with your prospects are so important. In fact, it will show the prospect you care and are passionate about what you are selling. If you can sell your expertise by portraying your confidence…you are going to be hard to say no to.
Being confident in your sales ability, also makes it a lot easier to build rapport with your prospects. Building rapport is one of the most important aspect of sales. This is where you build trust and credibility.
Have confidence in yourself and in your sales ability.
Note: Learn more about why confidence is important in sales.
Go beyond your solution.
Every single prospect you talk to already knows going into the call an overview of your solutions, so you need to go over the top and provide them with the the three E’s:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Empathy
What do I mean by this?
How you sell is way more important than what you sell.
Experience
Have you ever been to a concert, on an airplane ride, to the Apple store, or to a NFL football game? What do all these examples have in common? They all sell an experience.
I have worked at a live, outdoor music venue in central Indiana for the past 6 years of my life. One important piece of advice my dad (who is in the entertainment industry) has emphasized to me, is always remember to give your customers an experience they will never forget because that is how you get them to keep coming back.
Let’s say you want to buy a new watch that will go well with your suits. When you go into Patek Philippe, you are investing your time into a much higher-quality experience than going to your local retail store Like Target or Walmart. That is why Patek Philippe is the successful brand it is today.
When selling, you always need to have in mind the buying experience you are giving your customer. In fact, the experience you sell to your prospect should release the business value they get from your product or service.
Long gone are the days when prospects used to buy based on price and product. While that is the case for some products, creating an outstanding, unique buying experience is more important than ever.
This is how many salespeople are retaining customers and gaining new ones.
Here are somethings to include in your customer buying experience:
- Set expectations based on your customer’s needs
- Show confidence
- Actively listen to their needs
- Portray your ethics
- Tell a story
- Ask for feedback
What is listed above might seem basic, but the basics are the most important part in the sales game. Being confident in yourself and the product, having good body language, actively listening, and having good tonality and empathy are all basic sales skills every sales person needs to get down. ASAP.
Let’s move onto why it is important to be an expert.
Expertise
Let’s say you were a CIO (Chief Information Officer) for a big tech company and you wanted to buy a new SaaS product in order to automate more processes for the company.
If you were to talk to two different sales representatives (one who has been in the industry for ten years and knows what they are talking about and someone who just started selling at a new company) from two different companies and you are trying to choose which product to pick.
Nine times out of ten, you are going to pick the expert who has been in the industry for years and knows what they are talking about.
Every prospect you talk to wants to be talking to a representative that is an expert in his or her industry.
It is important to have expertise in the industry you sell in because it shows your prospect how credible you are and the crucial knowledge you have about your solution that could potentially help your prospect.
Once you understand your prospects business needs by asking relevant questions, you need to demonstrate your product and industry knowledge. This will help you build trust with your prospect and show them you are a credible representative.
Your prospects are expecting you to know:
- about them
- who are they
- what do they do
- your products
- what it does
- how its implemented
- how it works
- benefits and solutions
- your company
- who your company is
- what your company does
- your industry
- your sales process
You need to add value to their buying experience by demonstrating ROI, knowledge of their business needs, and industry insights and analytics.
It is important when you are closing a prospect you demonstrate how your solution can increase their return on investment (ROI). This is more ammo in your inventory you can use to show why your prospect should choose your solution. You are showing them real numbers, real data without being pushy.
In addition, showing your prospect analytics and insights that back up your solution and covers any of their business needs, you will have a lot better chance of closing the deal.
Grow your expertise by researching your prospects, your solutions, your industry, and your prospects industry.
Lastly, let’s talk about empathy.
Empathy
These are the basics.
This is caring about your prospect, what they believe in, and how they feel about their business needs.
It is your job as a salesperson to make sure that you understand your prospects perspectives and beliefs. By doing this, you are growing a healthy relationship with your prospect which is important for success in sales.
People do not want to talk to sales people who are boring, uninterested, lack confidence, and can’t listen.
These are things you need to have as a salesperson. Start working on them in your everyday life, so it is second nature once you start selling.
That’s It!
If you are still reading, I really hope you learned something today and can implement these strategies into your sales game. I want to help out as many people as possible.
When you are in sales you are in the people business. Being a good communicator and understanding people is an important skill. I can go on and on about different skills you should have to be an amazing salesperson. Overall, You need to be proactive in your sales calls by having a smooth buying experience, presenting with great expertise, and portraying empathy for your prospects.
Try and implement everything that was in this blog today!
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NL