ONE
Australia
The best salesperson I ever saw was an introvert who
subsequently taught me an awful lot about sales.
His biggest tip was something that only true introverts
understand and that is the old adage of 'god gave us one
mouth and two ears - that ought to tell us something'.
His strategy was surprisingly simple. If you're not comfortable
talking to people then you want to make sure you have something worthwhile to talk about before you walk in the door. That
meant he had the best prospecting skills and pre research skills
of anyone I had ever met. And not ongoing research so that he
never had to make a call, just enough to have something worthwhile to say when he did.
Unlike many extrovert who have lots to say (and little of relevance to the client) everyone of his words was chosen carefully
and deliberately. Truly brilliant
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up.
- Thomas A. Edison
How many books have you read on selling? If you are anyone
like me you have probably read more than a hand full. Friends
and colleagues recommend them all the time. Some of the best
sales people I know have read some pretty amazing books on
selling. How about seminars and workshops on selling - have
you tried your hand at any? While we are at it, let's not forget
the sales coach. Every where in the business world there are
tools available to help everyone sell something, more effectively.
Well, not EVERYONE.
The one thing most of the sales training avenues I have
travelled have one basic thing in common: that basic premise,
that everyone has no problem putting themselves out there and
going for that gold ring. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have the
drive, vision and desire to grasp the gold ring, but I have the
barrier of not being an extrovert. I find it difficult to boldly go
where no sales person has gone before.
Let me give an example.
Along my journey in selling I had decided to hire the services of
a professional sales coach. I met with this person over lunch to
get a feel for what I might expect. The person sitting across from
me was a ball of fire. His personality was infectious.
He could not stop talking about how much he loved to sell.
Selling was his religion. He could not wait to put himself in front
of a prospective customer and get the sale. I was pretty
impressed. I could feel the hook on the inside of my cheek and
he was reeling me in. I also recognized that this person was the
polar opposite of me. But what if he could "teach" me to be like
him - could it be that easy?
I hired Mike to come into my world and show me a few pointers
to encourage me to love selling. My challenge at the time was
cold calling. Well, long-story-short, I never got any better at cold
calling. Mike basically said with practice and a good script I
would get into it and learn to love it - rejections and all. Where
was the magic pill I thought? You mean all this exuberance for
sales was just that simple?
What Mike did not get, was that even the thought of picking up
that phone to call a stranger was terrifying to me. It is the one
challenge in teaching myself to sell that I failed at. I still have
mixed feeling about it. Mike like so many other sales gurus assumed that I could overcome my reluctance to put myself out
there. It is simply not that easy for people like me. Don't blame
Mike - with the right type of personality, his advice and guidance
would do wonders and has.
In talking to a number of people in business about selling I
came to an interesting observation:
There are an awful lot of people out there who are in sales as
part of their overall business function. I am what you would call
a "Doer-Seller". I would much rather do than sell, but then
I would have to give up eating. I must sell if I want to do.
What a paradox!
All of this discussion led me to a grand conclusion. I wonder how
introverts, shy people and those with a genuine reluctance to
sell, but must, do it? Now that would be a book I'd want to read.
As it turned out, it became a book I would want to write.
And here we are.
What you will find in these pages are proven tips from real
people from all over the world who offered their experiences in
trying to sell, when they would much rather be fishing. I have
found many to assist me in my reluctant journey - I hope you do
as well.
ONE
Australia
The best salesperson I ever saw was an introvert who
subsequently taught me an awful lot about sales.
His biggest tip was something that only true introverts
understand and that is the old adage of 'god gave us one
mouth and two ears - that ought to tell us something'.
His strategy was surprisingly simple. If you're not comfortable
talking to people then you want to make sure you have something worthwhile to talk about before you walk in the door. That
meant he had the best prospecting skills and pre research skills
of anyone I had ever met. And not ongoing research so that he
never had to make a call, just enough to have something
worthwhile to say when he did.
Unlike many extroverts who have lots to say (and little of relevance to the client) everyone of his words was chosen carefully
and deliberately. Truly brilliant.
TWO
India
When people buy, they are looking at sincerity from the seller
and not flamboyance. For sales jobs which are relationship
driven- you need to go back to the same dealer to sell your
wares- relationship, hardwork and the perception of doing
something for their business drives sales orders- not the gift
of the gab and getting along.
Where extroverts score in sales in getting new orders, BD work,
cold calling etc. Their natural disposition makes it easier to
approach total strangers and talk. The introvert will probably
encounter a few hurdles here. But the introvert will also ensure
that he does his pre sale work well- knowing the customer,
carrying material and general perseverance.
In my opinion I have seen both types do well at sales. They have
different techniques and as long as they are both committed to
their jobs they do equally well.
Hope this helps.
THREE
Australia
The best thing in sales is references. I used to work for a software
company and all my sales used to come through references,
being an introvert my self who does not have great selling skills.
My opinion is that building great relationships will help you
achieve your targets as you never know from where your next
sale is going to come and in my experience you have to keep
the reseller network happy.
FOUR
India
Well I am not much of a extrovert and hate selling face to face.
So what worked for me was a little bit of research and then lots
of telephone calls to prospective customers. I use to just listen to
them and try to pick out what they need rather than have them
listen to what I have to sell and then I used to twist my sales
campaign a little bit and try to present it to them in the manner
they liked best.
Also people also tend to open up in front of a listener
rather than a talker.
FIVE
USA
The thing that I learned most from an awesome sales course by
Les Dane called sales "closing". I was able to look around and
notice that everything we touch or have service from was closed
once it was exchanged from the seller to the buyer. I have
learned to categorize by types of people such as:
1. The professional Close,
(stats and knowing they will also seek anyone they want).
2. The unattached female (give her a compliment and close
her...be honest about what's said).
3. The family close (getting the majority of agreement from the
family members to close).
4. The person that wants to "be like" someone or please them
type close.
After I worked on these in the courseroom and went out and
talked to people about what it is I wanted to close them on I
discovered that book on closing techniques worked about 80%
of the time which was better than before I studied to apply.
SIX
India
To sell something you’ve got to build on many things.
These may not be in increasing or decreasing order...
•
•
•
•
•
•
Building relations.
Building trust and commitment
Constructive thinking
Understanding and planning structures
Creating marvellous strategies
Refining brief
All of this with a good hearing/listening capability is key.
SEVEN
USA
My best results have come when I started by offering a sample
of our product. We make the best tasting gluten-free cookie on
the market. That's not just my opinion, feedback from consumers
and retail buyers alike backs me up.
So if you have a truly outstanding product, especially a
consumable, let your product open the doors for you.
EIGHT
Nigeria
I think a good tactic is the question and answer approach. The
introverted sales person in a face-to-face situation simply needs
to ask some key open ended questions geared toward finding
out about the needs of the target.
Any consumer - more often than not - is willing to tell you about
his needs and how and why his current choice is not meeting
those needs. The introverted sales person now just needs to
provide the product.
Not as simple and clear cut as it sounds, but it is a change from
the approach where a salesperson drone on about how fantastic
his product is.
NINE
Bulgaria
I am an introvert. I hate talking on the phone. I hate talking
in front of a big crowd. All those things make me so
uncomfortable. You know that feeling in the stomach? The only
thing I am good at is talking one on one. The only reason that I
am good at this is because I am shy. I talk little, listen a lot. That's
what people want. Someone to listen to their problems, worries,
issues etc.
So let's formulate 3 points on which one has to focus:
1. Don't talk much! Ask questions, listen to what the other
person has to say, follow the rule of formulated by Winston
Churchill - “Too often the strong, silent man is silent only
because he does not know what to say, and is reputed strong
only because he has remained silent.”
2. You need to distinguish your personal life and your job.
When starting work, just put on a mask. Just accept that you
are the best sales person ever, and forget you are an
introvert. BECOME one of the people you believe are great at
talking, are very silent at home and between friends. Just
think if you know such people.
3. The most important thing I believe is to act as if you have
already made the sale, and you are the person that has to
decide whether to work with the other party or not. A good
example is when I started looking for a job, and I went to
interviews almost every day as I wasn't happy with the jobs
I started. I had a 95% success rate, and almost all employers
were ready to employ me, but I turned them down too often.
I want to stress that at that time my CV was very poor.
I hope these 3 rules can help anyone who has a problem with
direct sales.
TEN
Australia
One of the best things which has helped me in the past when
I had to do simple sales promos over the counter was to have a
thorough product knowledge and deep understanding of the
benefits customers received from buying the product/service.
Although this wasn't as serious as selling a house or car, it made
me appreciate the minor things like my state, non-verbals and
basic use of NLP.
ELEVEN
Canada
This takes the edge of the cold call.
Call up a prospect and ask if they have received your brochure
yet, knowing full well that you haven't even mailed it yet. When
they answer "no", ask if you can call back after they do get it and
discuss it?
I usually get a positive response to this. They are now a warm
lead.
TWELVE
Canada
Join networking groups, clubs, the local Chamber of Commerce
etc. The trick here is to join committees. At his level you can
show your expertise, and meet people who appreciate your
willingness to give first. They become your advocates and
introduce you to other people at events. This by-passes your
reluctance to walk up and introduce yourself to strangers.
THIRTEEN
Canada
The next time you are at a networking event. Challenge yourself
to say something to one stranger in the room. It doesn't matter
if it is only about the weather. The goal is to conquer your
reluctance to speak with someone. If you can get them
talking, all you have to do is listen.
FOURTEEN
Canada
Do speaking engagements. Put together a kick-ass
presentation loaded with colorful graphics and know your
product passionately. In order to avoid nervously missing
my spot with a script, I don't use one. I click up another screen,
glance at it and talk about that screen. This keeps me in the
zone. I ask questions of the audience. This helps to make it more
of a conversation as opposed to a nervous talking head.
As long as I stay on topic I am fine.
As far as getting the nerve to even walk out onto that stage
in the first place goes, I just threw myself into the situation.
I challenged my fears. I found the script made me more nervous
because if I lost my place or was interrupted it un-nerved me.
Just wing it - you know your product better than anyone.
It is amazing the response you will get. When people see you
without a script they take you for the expert you are.
FIFTEEN
Canada
On my business card I put my elevator speech. This gets who
ever I give it to, to ultimately ask, "what do mean by this?"
This little trick breaks the ice for me. Simple, but effective.
SIXTEEN
USA
When attending network events, I bring along a friend who is
not so shy and hang with her all night. As she introduces herself,
she also introduces me. It works great.
I've made some great connections this way.
SEVENTEEN
USA
I utilize tools such as newsletters to keep my expertise in
front of people. I send it out every month. Because it is a regular
connection, I view as a passive sales tool. It instigates contact.
EIGHTEEN
Canada
Blogging allows me to build my expert profile without physically
putting myself out in front of people. I use my real name and
enjoy the feedback. It is a terrific confidence builder also.
NINETEEN
Canada
If you must make cold calls, make the calls first thing in the
morning. This way you are not fretting about them all day and
following the calls - the day can only get better.
TWENTY
Canada
If you are making sales calls and get nothing but voice-mail,
then take to leaving that days weather. Ie: "Today's high will be
73º and the low 62º, enjoy the day", this will help you stand out
and also helps to lighten the mood until you connect.
The trick here is to continue to leave these messages until the
target gives in and connects. It has worked for me.
In closing, (no pun intended) I hope you found some nugget of
advice in this ebook inspiring. Myself, I’ve learned a thing or two
in assembling this book. The point to be made here is that we
sell even when we are just speaking with people.
As branding tells us, it’s the relationship that counts. Nobody
enjoys being sold to. No matter what corner of the world your
business calls home, growing your business is a universal desire.
Selling should be enjoyable AND rewarding. I certainly find it to
be the case.
I’d like to thank the contributors who helped me assemble the
advice here. They were bloggers from the USA, Australia,
Bulgaria, Nigeria, India and Canada.
NOW GET OUT THERE AND SELL!
Ed Roach, The Branding Experts
[email protected]
http://www.TheBrandCorral.com
519-324-9536
Copyright © 2008 The Branding Experts™. All rights reserved. All information
contained in this document property of The Branding Experts™