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Being a sales professional means getting in step and staying in step
If you are a good dancer, you know how important it is to be in step. Effective selling is like a dance, and we must be careful to be side-by-side with our prospects. This sounds simple. It is not always easy. Here is an example I encountered in my coaching just this past month:
Gene owns company “A”. He has been in business for nearly 20 years, and has a loyal and profitable customer base. He and his team have managed relationships well, and have made it a habit to exceed expectations.
Gene decides to purchase another company whose owner, Bill, is ready to retire. For 30 years, Bill has served his customers well. Like Gene, he has managed relationships effectively and built a strong platform of trust.
Gene is excited. He gets to double his business. He markets well during the transition, and Bill’s customer’s come flocking to meet the new fellow.
After a short while, Gene’s team realizes that they have an added challenge: Even though they have 20 years of trust built with their customer base, they are starting from “square one” with Bill’s customers. When sales proposals were presented, things didn’t go like they were used to. They needed to get in step.
The first step of the sales process is building rapport and selling ourselves. We must achieve this to be in a good selling position. That means we are out of step if we are presenting a solution. Think about yourself: If you are wary of someone, you are probably not going to be as engaged in their presentation.
Once the team realized this, they changed their approach. With Bill’s customer base, job #1 was building trust. They gave them a tour, found out about their families, learned what sports and hobbies they like, and showed a genuine interest. When they were confident they had earned the trust, they moved on to selling. Now they were in step.
Putting this in to action:
Be a good listener when working with a prospect. Hear their words, listen to their voice tone, and watch their body language. There are many clues if we look for them. Prepare for your conversation with a prospect by determining what stage of selling you are in, and how you can advance the dialogue. If you do, you will begin to hear a lot less of, “I’ll think about it”