Things to Use in
Selling That No One is Teaching
Today, selling has changed from the time I first started. I
remember taking courses, reading books and attending seminars
that taught FAB. Feature, Advantages, Benefits.
"Tell about the Features, Cover the Advantages, Review the
Benefits and ask for the close." This is what the major
selling programs taught in the seventies. Thirty six years
later, things have changed dramatically. People are
responsible for more than ever and they do not have time for a
"dog and pony show," nor the patience. Prospects and customers
are doing research about their options ahead of time. Emphasis
today is on "buying from someone you like and trust." Selling
is old fashioned... helping someone buy gives you an edge.
How do you get that edge, you ask? Follow these simple
steps:
- Set aside 20% of the call time to bond. Ask
questions about the prospects career and their current
responsibilities. Match and mirror their body language,
their tone and speed of speaking, and finally their words.
You want to establish comfort and trust. Matching and
mirroring helps put you in their shoes. It helps you feel
what they are feeling. If you are subtle, the prospect also
receives signals from his or her subconscious that you are
"like them." Remember, "birds of a feather flock together."
- Relax yourself before the call; ground yourself in
your body. Feel your feet, legs, thighs, and waist.
Breathe in deeply, picture taking in the air from your feet
and circulating it through your whole body and exhaling
through your navel. Grounding helps you detach from outcomes
so that you can ask questions that help you determine if
this prospect is a fit for you... helping you determine the
proper solution for them... whether it is you or not.
- Tell your prospects what will happen next.
Describe your call. You could say "In my preparation for the
call, I made an agenda, (give a copy), would you review it
and add anything else that you think we need to cover? As
you can see, I'll need to ask some questions to help you
determine if we are a fit for you... if at anytime you think
that this is not working for you, would you mind sharing
that with me? I'm ok with, no. My goal is to help you buy
the correct solution, whether it is me or not." (Some even
add the "if you are not a fit for us, would you mind if I
stop and share this with you as well?") This take the
pressure off of the client who is usually being sold by
someone... that is what prospects have been trained to
expect from rookie and untrained sales people.
- Ask questions to determine the fit. Use who,
what, where, when, why and how questions. Prepare a list of
questions by starting with the end in mind. What is the
ideal client for you? What is your company best at? What are
you just ok at? What are you not very good at? Your goal is
to get information, not to give it. Prospects and customers,
with the right questions, will be speaking 60 to 75% of the
time.
- Now the most important part... as your prospect is
answering your questions and as you answer some of theirs,
notice their body language and pay attention to what you are
feeling in your body. If you feel anything, are afraid
of something or notice them shift or move... find a way to
say what you are feeling. Find a way to say what your
biggest fear is. This is one of the keys to your success.
You do not have to worry about what to respond to a prospect
with if you are paying attention to what you are feeling. If
you feel something you said made them uncomfortable... you
might say "I noticed that you moved when I said that and I
am feeling like I made you uncomfortable, how did you feel
when I said xxxxx?" Most salespeople are afraid of not
knowing what to say during a sales call, but this is never a
problem for my clients as they are learning to use their
body to help them. Our bodies have millions of cells and
they are all receptors. If we get grounded and pay attention
to our feelings and stay present during the call so that we
can see how our prospects are reacting, all we have to do is
to find a way to say what our receptor cells are telling us.
It works so well because it's real and revealed. It's the
truth. Prospects buy from people that they like and trust,
and who wouldn't like an honest, revealed, vulnerable
person? The success rate of my clients who learn this and
use it faithfully is 100%. Not 100% closing rate, 100%
satisfied and happy for both parties. They save themselves
from prospects that are not a fit, help others move to a
better fit (even if it's not them) and close their ideal
clients 100% of the time.
- Helping someone buy is about them, not you. If
you are focused on you, your quotas, your profits...
prospects sense it and you start "selling" the old way...
you fail to notice shifts by prospects and there is no way
to notice your feelings if you are "going in for the kill."
The only response is for people to pull away from someone
like this. You can keep them coming towards you if you
follow the above steps. If they do not buy from you now,
they will later. Or they will refer you with confidence.
They will notice that you are honest, comfortable to do
business with, real and revealed.
Stop trying to learn how to "better sell
things." Learn about how to notice your feelings, learn to
trust them and those around you will trust you. Practice at
home or with friends. Notice when you feel uncomfortable and
ask, "Hey, I am feeling uncomfortable right now, I could be
wrong" and "is there anything going on between us that you
want to say to me? "
Whatever you are feeling, find a way to
say it. Pay attention, become a good listener and notice when
those around you shift when you say something that makes them
uncomfortable.
Which type of person do you like to be
around? The know it all... the one who never shuts up... the
one who interrupts when you are talking or someone who
listens, asks questions, who cares, is honest and revealed?
Which one are you?
I wish you good selling.
Gratefully yours....
Steve |
