How To Sell
Always be Closing! Famous words from Alec Baldwin in the classic Glengarry Glen Ross. Also famous words from unsophisticated salespeople.
Times have changed.
People have changed.
Technology has changed.
Sales have changed.
No one likes being ‘sold’ to. It’s like being in a group text message that you don’t want to be in and can’t get out of.
^The obsolete sales strategy
Our whole CIVILIZATION is now informed. Information is abundant and available at all times. Communication is nonstop. The internet has granted access to more information and access than anyone could have ever imagined.
Salespeople used to have an informational advantage - that was the edge. Sales teams were armed with specific information. They had access to specific information and had a head start to go out and spread the word. It was a numbers game - share new information with enough people, you were bound to get a bite! 1 out of 10, 100, or 1000 times and convert a sale.
Thanks to the internet, now everyone has access to information, that edge has evaporated.
It's harder than ever to bring value to your client base. You need to be more than a master of small talk. We don't have time for it in our lives and that's what your uncle Lou is for anyway, not professional time. :)
The old picture of a salesperson is obsolete and no longer acceptable. How do you get to the next level in the world of sales?
LISTEN
LISTEN
ASK BROAD OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS and then
LISTEN
PROVIDE A SOLUTION
Stop trying to sell. Start to Listen.
Be genuinely interested! In B2B sales, your clients are highly invested in whatever they're working on. Think about it, they’re dedicating a significant chunk of their lives to this particular problem. (usually about 40 hours/week) It's their livelihood. It’s amazing what you can learn from a person just by asking them what they’re looking for, sitting back, and letting them talk through it.
This is most important (and coincidentally hardest to remember) when you're new. Being green (new) in the field is a catch 22:
On the negative side
you likely don't know what you're doing
are not an expert in the solutions you're able to offer
do not have a deep understanding of the industry you're working with
On the positive side:
expectations are low
you're allowed to make mistakes
questions are welcome
fresh slate - no preconceived notions
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK STUPID QUESTIONS. What you'll learn as you progress through your career is that there are none. Ever. At any stage of your career. Be prepared to look foolish in the short term.
When you begin a new career you’re going to be unsophisticated in whatever marketplace you enter. Sorry top tier B School graduates, your debt and syllabuses are no substitute for specific industry knowledge, verbiage, and network, so be prepared to be a student again, indefinitely (at least in the world of sales).
In life, particularly in sales, being curios is far more valuable than being smart. Curiosity and motivation lead to action, which then produces results. The faster you are able to come to this realization, the quicker you will become a subject matter expert. Trust me.
By asking subject matter experts (your clientele) questions, you are able to hone in on a couple of important factors:
#1 - You get a clear picture of what your client is actually doing. It's amazing how often people have been working with an individual or company for years, but cant' articulate exactly what he/she/the company actually does. This is a bad sign. You do NOT want to be in that position.
#2 - You can figure out the ROOT cause of their current issue. What is the REAL problem or circumstance this person is trying to SOLVE. If you're able to articulate (or have them articulate) this problem when you provide a solution, the next logical step will be using your solution (ie, closing the sale).
Broad open-ended questions help you achieve #2
*Official Definition*
Open-ended questions are leading questions that force your counterpart to think deeply about a problem set. It is easiest to get people to respond to these questions when they are heavily engaged and already thinking about the topic at hand. Done correctly, you discover problems/solutions that neither party was previously aware of.
Here are a few examples of broad, open-ended questions:
what do you not like about your current scenario?
what does your ideal application or system look like?
tell me about major pain points with your job right now?
how could we work to improve this process?
what are you trying to achieve?
** Nothing that you can answer with a simple yes/no response **
For this particular exercise, get out of the weeds (where the tacticians live) and attempt to get a view of the entire jungle. (this is the vantage point of the entrepreneur, someone thinking long term, not looking for immediate results, and capable of seeing multiple scenarios, different types of players on the board, etc)
This is how you’re able to differentiate yourself from normal salespeople. When you associate yourself with being an individual that focuses on complex, long-term solutions, you’re actually adding value, not simply saving 10%.
You’re now a collaborative growth agent - not a transactional order taker. This is the space you have to operate in to be great.
Action items: (here is how to sell)
1 - Be Curious.
2 - Ask broad open-ended questions.
3 - Work collaboratively and provide solutions to actual ROOT problems.
4 - Always Be LISTENING
That's how you sell.
As always, follow @itschriskeith on Twitter for more frequent updates.