No matter what your level of sales production – doing well, not doing well or somewhere in between, one can always get better. As you read this today, avoid the trap of thinking, “I know that.” The more empowering question to be thinking is, “how good am I at this?”
Fortunately, we can all become more capable, confident and effective at selling.
Today we’re looking at 5 keys to sales effectiveness:
- Courage
This might be THE key to sales effectiveness. It takes courage to ignore all the distractions and prospect consistently; to go for “no” and walk away from prospects who aren’t a good fit or won’t buy; to ask what needs to asked when it needs to be asked; to make the call that needs to be made regardless of how uncomfortable it might be; to talk about money; to shut up and listen- truly listen; to check your need to be liked and please others. Courage is about taking action in the presence of fear and doubt. Good news: you don’t have to be courageous all day long, just at a few key moments, and courage can be acquired.
- I Help People Buy, If It’s A Fit (versus convincing)
My role is to facilitate a buying conversation if what I have to offer is wanted and needed by someone with the ability to pay.
- I Focus on Winnable Opportunities
Do they have a compelling motive to do something, to do something now and to do something with me? They need to convince me on why we should do business. Since my time is precious, I look to disqualify opportunities as I know I live in a world of abundance and there are plenty of good opportunities out there for me.
- Clearly Defined, Mutually Agreed Upon, Next Steps- Always
Rarely do I see this done well. “Call me next week” is not a clearly defined, mutually agreed upon next step. Neither is telling your prospect what should happen next. If your prospect won’t agree to a specific next step, are they politely telling you “no”?
- I’m The Unique Selling Proposition Because “How” You Sell Matters
We have a “sameness” problem in sales. From the buyers’ perspective- which is the only one that counts- when evaluating and purchasing products and services, everything looks the same to them. So the default response is to go to price. In most cases, “how” you sell is more important than “what” you sell. How do you look and sound different than all the other salespeople your prospect is dealing with? Are you selling something or facilitating a buying conversation?
Which of these do you need to get better at? What are your proven keys to your sales effectiveness?