Are We Falling for A Sales Schmoozer?

You have a salesperson everyone lovesโ€”clients, prospects, even your staff. Great, right? Yes, except for the fact that they canโ€™t actually close business.

How can this be?

Often, someone ends up in sales because someone once told them theyโ€™re a people person. When this is the case, if the salesperson isnโ€™t properly trained, he often will try to please his prospect with bonding, giving them the reins and allowing the prospect to be in charge of the relationship. This type of salesperson believes a person will buy from him if he can just get them to like him.

A weakness in this area will show itself in an overabundance of unqualified meetings, with little business closing.

When a salesperson has an overwhelming desire to be liked, it can control the way they do business. Some examples of what such a salesperson might not be able to do:

โ€ข Ask tough questions.

โ€ข Bring closure to a situation or identify a clear next step.

โ€ข Confront โ€œwishy washyโ€ statements.

โ€ข Deal directly with stalls and objections.

โ€ข Understand that they arenโ€™t being rejected personally.

โ€ข Hang in there when the going gets tough.

Consider these questions to help uncover weaknesses:

โ€ข โ€œHow do you build relationships with your prospects?โ€

Listen for an attempt to read the prospect somehow. If they say something like, โ€œI ask about their kids,โ€ or a generic โ€œThis is what I always doโ€ type of answer, they are attempting to bond rather than read the prospect.

โ€ข โ€œHow often will a prospect buy from you if they donโ€™t seem to bond with you?โ€

Youโ€™re looking for something along the lines of โ€œThey donโ€™t have to like me; itโ€™s about value to them.โ€

โ€ข โ€œWhat happens if you feel a prospect just doesnโ€™t seem to like you?โ€

You want them to say something like, โ€œWell, I hope they do, but as long as they respect me and see value, thatโ€™s all right.โ€

Remember, sales really isnโ€™t about everyone loving you. Itโ€™s about having good, hard, in-depth conversations with prospects to uncover the issues they have, and recommending true solutions. Period. โ™ฆ

Greta Schulz is president of Schulz Business, a sales consulting and training firm. She is the best-selling author of โ€œTo Sell is NOT to Sellโ€ and works with Fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurs. For more information or free sales tips, go to schulzbusiness.com and sign up for โ€œGretaNomics,โ€ a weekly video tip series, or email sales questions to greta@schulzbusiness.com.

Greta Schulz
gschulz@sfbwmag.com
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