How many sales opportunities have you lost to competitors who seemed to have the inside track? It's likely your prospect purchased from their emotional favorite.
Selling goes beyond communicating the value of your products and services. Selling is about communicating the value of doing business with you. It is about connecting with your customer and becoming their 'Emotional Favorite'. Success in sales requires three things:
1) A viable product that addresses a need
2) Credibility
3) Timing.
Some in sales claim in sales timing is everything; experienced sales professionals know timing is the ONLY thing.
There are a plethora of credible businesses with viable products. To be truly successful at selling you need timing - to be the first or second person your customer talks to when they need something. There are three simple ways to get timing:
1) Sheer numbers ? if you contact enough prospects, you'll eventually find opportunities
2) Referrals ? someone tells you the customer has a need for your product or service
3) Become your customer's 'Emotional Favorite' - the customer calls you first
Value Of Being First Being one of the first suppliers in front of your customers at the time they need what you sell is key to getting the business. Once the customer begins to shape a solution around a vendor's product or service, they become emotionally tied to that solution. People tend to make decisions and move on to the next problem.
What Is The Emotional Favorite? Think about the last time you purchased a product or service. When you picked up the phone, did you call the person who helped you in the past? The person who adds value to your business or your career every time you ask for their assistance? Chances are you did. The fact of the matter is most people do.
It used to be that people bought from those they know, like, and trust. To be successful in sales today, you need to go one step further and connect with your customers to become the person your customers know, like, trust?and want to see succeed.
The emotional favorite is the person your customers call first, regardless of what they need.
Becoming The Emotional Favorite So, if being the emotional favorite means you helping your customers fulfill their needs, how do you create this relationship where your customers think of you as their one-stop resource?
Start by asking questions about your customer when you meet for the very first time and at the end of EVERY sales call.
Think about the last time you encountered a 'stereotypical' sales person, the one who immediately launches into a sales pitch. How did you react? After a minute or two, did your eyes glaze over? As the sales person drones on, you stop listening waiting for an opportunity to end the conversation. Ultimately, that sales person falls to the bottom of the list of people you call when you need something. Not where you want to be if you're looking to become the Emotional Favorite.
Asking The Right Questions Obviously, you're not going to start with 'Hi, I'm Craig. What's your greatest challenge?'
Start with open-ended questions: Ask about how the latest government policy changes, or shifts in technology has impacted their business. Relate their business to your other industry contacts and share some of your own insights. Then you can ask about their greatest challenges and you will likely get the answers you are looking for.
Frame your questions outside your existing sales professional to prospect relationship because by default, your customer will answer in terms of your products or services. Start with "Let's forget about what I do for ABC Company for a minute" and ask:
· What is the biggest issue you have that you just can't get to? or,
· What is the one thing you are looking for but can't seem to find? or,
· What issue have you tried to solve but can't find a satisfactory solution to?
Now shut up and listen! When your customer stops talking, wait 6 seconds and listen to what they tell you next. First they'll tell you about the problem. If you don't interrupt them, they will tell you how the problem impacts them and the rest of their organization.
Now you have the enough information to connect your customer with a solution and if it's not available through you perhaps you know a colleague who can solve the problem.
What Are The Benefits Of Asking The Right Questions?
· You gain a better understanding of your customers and their organization.
· You will improve your customer relationships during a time when your customers do not need what you sell.
· You will get more time with your customers.
· You may learn of opportunities to sell.
Most customers don't tell you of needs they think are unrelated to what you sell. When you ask the above questions, you will learn of additional needs that may provide you with new opportunities to differentiate yourself and sell your products or services.
Craig Elias, a 15-year sales veteran and noted speaker on selling and networking, launched the first cross industry lead exchange company, InnerSell. Since then, InnerSell has won Tim Draper's "Billion Dollar Idea" pitch contest, received seed funding from the same silicon valley venture capital firm that funded Hotmail - Draper Fisher Jurvetson - and was recently chosen as one of the 40 hottest companies in Silicon Valley. InnerSell can be found at http://www.InnerSell.com
While living in the technology age where everything is computerized,... Read More
Could casual Friday be undermining your leadership ability?One of the... Read More
Yesterday I received a call from a financial planner named... Read More
Who likes cold calling? Most salespeople don't like cold calling,... Read More
There are seven major reasons why adults continue their pursuit... Read More
This is an important and potentially profitable piece of advice.... Read More
Have you ever shopped at Walmart and thought... I need... Read More
Have you ever stepped your way through the sales process... Read More
A challenge facing many businesses is how to maintain a... Read More
So, you are taking your products and heading to a... Read More
Obtaining merchant status will help to increase your sales. Consumers... Read More
"I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green... Read More
When a request for proposal (RFP) comes in, you get... Read More
When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule... Read More
So now the time has come to invest in Lead... Read More
In my opinion, the most overrated topic in sales training... Read More
Where many marketing conversations get off-track are the ones you... Read More
I was sitting at my desk last week when my... Read More
You can have your cake and eat it.What is it... Read More
Back in the days when I sold for CTV and... Read More
You stand there, in front of your great presentation material,... Read More
There are several ways to get your information into the... Read More
Article I of a two-part series.No matter what customers say... Read More
Is cold calling dead? And if laws are being passed... Read More
JOHN DI LEMME ON "5 + 5 = Your Dream"... Read More
One of my first internship jobs as a college student... Read More
An area that can become profitable for many businesses in... Read More
You have a great product, but it's not flying off... Read More
Everywhere I turn, I'm being asked to weigh in on... Read More
Not all mannequins are made to look like full-grown adults.... Read More
Make no mistake that emotions are the driving force behind... Read More
Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that... Read More
We all know that you can't earn your commission until... Read More
Have you ever asked yourself, now how did I let... Read More
Your choice of materials for store fixtures includes wood, metal,... Read More
There's a direct correlation between sales experience and prejudging. The... Read More
Any company that relies on selling a product or service... Read More
We all know that you can't earn your commission until... Read More
A sales letter is a document designed to generate sales.... Read More
Whenever I speak with new salesreps and entrepreneurs, I hear... Read More
A white paper supports PR, marketing and sales because it... Read More
This week's article is my response to a question by... Read More
Business owners of long standing know the cardinal rule "take... Read More
Female mannequins are very common in clothing stores. They are... Read More
How much extra money could you make by closing just... Read More
When was the last time you thanked your customers?This often... Read More
1. Mail to your customers more often. If you are... Read More
"I'd love to work with you, but?"How many times have... Read More
This is an important and potentially profitable piece of advice.... Read More
Web sites exist for essentially two purposes. The first is... Read More
I am often reminded of the following true story whenever... Read More
Would you like an easy way to track the performance... Read More
Direct sales can be your ticket to a profitable home-based... Read More
Sales information resource Just Sell, calls caring "sales love". Here's... Read More
The purpose of a 1- or 2-hour seminar is to... Read More
Once you have added a new customer to your book... Read More
Selling--a word that strikes terror in writers and professionals. We... Read More
Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep... Read More
"Value-added." That word is used so much it has become... Read More
It is vital that insurance salespeople have a steady stream... Read More
Many stores on a budget choose to buy a used... Read More
Have you ever stepped your way through the sales process... Read More
There are thousands of books and seminars on how to... Read More
If you plan to do sell your product or service... Read More
Over the years, I have been amazed at... Read More
Zig Ziglar use to say in seminars and on tapes... Read More
Sales |