HARDISON’S TIPS – AUGUST 13, 2021 – Beliefs That Hinder Salespeople (PT.5)
I reduce the essence of the sales process down to these fundamental steps that apply to every selling situation:
- Engage with the right people.
- Make them comfortable with you.
- Find out what they want.
- Show them how what you have gives them what they want.
- Gain agreement on the next step.
- Follow up and leverage satisfaction to other opportunities.
The heart of the process is contained in the process represented by steps three and four. Finding out what they want, and showing them how what you have gives them what they want, is the essence of sales.
When you are ruled by the belief that you must believe in the product before you can sell it, you limit your ability to implement the essence of the sales process.
You’ll find out what they want; only you hold this product back. They are not allowed to want the benefits that it provides. And you limit your ability to show them how what you have gives them what they want. You don’t show them that product that is not high on your list.
That’s why this belief is so limiting. It removes possibilities from your ability to understand your customer, and it removes options from your menu of solutions.
No wonder that salespeople who hold this belief only achieve a fraction of their potential.
If this belief is one of the fundamental tenants of your opinion as to what constitutes a professional salesperson, it’s time to rid yourself of it. Instead of focusing on your opinion of the product, focus on the customer’s situation, and the customer’s needs.
Your job is not to impose your opinions on the customer’s behavior; it is to meet the customer’s needs with solutions that fit the customer’s situation. In so doing, you’ll break through the barriers that limit your effectiveness and move to a higher realization of your own potential.
One thing has not changed over the centuries of selling, “Buyers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. The basics to many of today’s salespeople are not that Important because it’s all about the close.
Asking “HI GAIN” questions and recapping the conversation shows the customer that you know how to earn the value of being a salesperson. Always start here and you will do fine.
