Many companies and
business outlets train their staff to be better salespeople by perfecting their
approach, repeating the same opening lines with every client and essentially
turning themselves into sales robots.
For some industries,
this approach is actually effective. However,
in the true sense of it, effective sales demands much more creativity,
and a more fine-tuned approach. Speaking like a robot and repeating a spiel ad
infinitum turns people away, but there’s another way to become a more effective
salesperson. It is better to focus on the purpose for the sales, rather than
other metrics.
FOCUS ON PURPOSE: this
literally means adjusting your sales strategy to focus on delivering
suggestions based on what a customer needs, rather than presenting a list of
products that your customer may or may not care about. Sales is about trying to
achieve a good fit. When a good fit is achieved, a transaction takes place.
Traditional sales metrics are about trying to find clients that fit your
products and services. Selling with purpose is more about finding good
clients than fitting your products and services to their needs.
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:
It’s important to acknowledge that most successful businesses aren’t created as
ideas for products, they’re created as ideas for solutions. Rather than
dreaming up some novel configuration of services, successful entrepreneurs look
at a given problem in a target market and develop a solution for it. This makes
it easier for you to make sales as there is a readymade market for the products
you are trying to sell.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR
CLIENTS: this approach familiarise you with your clients on a more intimate
level. Rather than just talking to them, you’ll actually listen to them
and try to understand their goals, their needs, their pain
points and problems with similar providers they’ve had in the past.
With this knowledge,
you’ll be able to put together a customized solution that works for them,
specifically increasing the likelihood that they’ll follow your
recommendations.
Selling with the best
intention of helping a client is the easiest way to thrive as a sales rep and
also to close more deals. Being more concerned about how you can be of help and
how a client can benefit from you is more rewarding than just going after the
idea of making money alone.