Ground Report

Ever-changing technology has opened the doors for ever-changing products. With the many changes to product features and benefits come new delivery outlets and sales reps competing for thinner margins.  With products vying for the consumer’s portfolio, salespeople are required to keep skills ahead of the competition to insure continued success. Therefore it’s important to take an inventory of your skill set to insure you become a power player in your field.

The following eight steps help salespeople at all levels, genders and product offerings.

1. Understand Yourself – Interaction is key for success in selling. However if you don’t know who you are or what style personality you have, how will you reach the person across the counter from you? Ask yourself “how do others see me?” The answers to these questions provide knowledge you can use to your advantage when selling any product or service.

1. Understand the Buyer – Too often today we live in a “one size fits all” world. If your approach to selling is “one size fits all,” you’ve grossly misunderstood your buyer. Have you taken time to understand what motivates your buyer? What are the reasons someone would want to buy from you and what products would they want?

Whether you are dealing with an individual or group, understanding who the buyers are can help you appreciate why they make purchasing decisions. View each personality as a member of a football team:

• The Quarterback takes control and is the key decision maker. Finding solid value in your product is one of the primary motivators for this buyer.
• The Running Back is cheerful, energetic, and impulsive. How your product will affect those they care about is important to this client.
• The Wide Receiver listens carefully, wants all the details before making a decision. His or her goal is to make a well informed decision supported by proof your product will deliver what you say it will.
• The Lineman is a workhorse who needs input from others. When selling to this personality, determine who influences the buyer. Doing so will allow you to encourage the customer to make a decision you’ll be happy with.

1. Know Your Product – Product knowledge sounds so basic but you’ll be surprised how many salespeople fail to truly understand their products and how the product impacts the client. Have you quizzed yourself lately on your knowledge of the services you sell? Just because you know your product well doesn’t necessarily mean you can communicate the benefits effectively to the client. Can you break down each feature in such a way that every buyer can understand what you have to offer? Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes – how would you want someone to explain a new product that may be complex?

1. Position Yourself for Success – On a basketball court, offensive and defensive players fight for position to rebound a missed shot. Sales reps contend for the all important customers. However, the rep that places himself or herself in the right position for a missed shot, either by themselves or others, has the best chance for closing the sale. Are you in the right position to find the leads to which you can present your product? What does this position look like for your industry? Are you involved in the buying community the way you need to be? Are you asking your existing customer base for leads? When was the last time you reviewed that list of clients you’ve called on before? Maybe it’s time for a refresher on these.

1. Plan The Call – Preparedness seems to be a luxury many of us can’t afford these days. The demands of work and home prevent us from fully equipping ourselves for each customer encounter or complacency overtakes us and convinces us “we’ve done this before, why prepare now?” Are you shortcutting your plan for success? This call may represent sale number 1,000 for you, but remember, this may be a client that’s a first-time buyer. You want that client to have the best experience possible and that’s why you prepare for every call.

One of the most important thoughts to consider when planning is how much time you’ll devote to listening to the buyer. We often feel we need to fill gaps with words when we really need to fill those gaps with listening. We’ve all heard of the 80/20 rule. In sales the 80/20 rule should be 80% listening and 20% talking. Do you plan to listen as you plan your call?

1. Implement the Plan – The best laid plans often fail because of poor execution. That’s why “practice” is so important if you want to be a power player. In the same way a pro football team wouldn’t step onto the field of battle without having practiced its plays, so a professional salesperson should not attempt to do battle without first taking the time to practice and hone one’s skills. I recall a call years ago when I was training a young sales rep. As we drove to the client’s office, we rehearsed how we wanted the call to go. We implemented the plan as we had discussed and walked away with the business. When we returned to the car, Andy exclaimed, “I can’t believe it. That call went exactly how we planned.” Don’t skip practice today if you want to be the winner at the end of the game.

1. Ask For the Business – Regardless of the sales arena, salespeople often don’t ask the buyer to say “yes.” What’s so difficult about asking this question? Regardless of the answer, how much more could you sell by asking more often? In your first week of sales training, you likely heard someone make this statement. Think about what you’re doing today. Could you make one more sale each week if you were to simply ask the client to move forward?

1. Follow through on the Sale – A common mistake in positioning oneself for future success is the lack of attention paid to follow through on a sale. Competition for any product in today’s economy is fierce yet we neglect to find solutions that set us apart from others. Perhaps the easiest way to differentiate ourselves is through follow up after the sale. If a buyer is pleased with what we’ve delivered to them, why wouldn’t he or she be willing to refer a family member or friend to us? Ensuring buyer satisfaction can prepare you for repeated opportunities and make you a power player in sales. Is your motto “Carpe Diem” when it comes to customer follow-up?

Allen Guy is the author of “Playing to Win: The Sport of Selling and How You Can Win the Game.” He is a veteran sales representative and manager with experience that spans more than twenty-five years and multiple industries. His training and success is evidenced by numerous awards from different companies recognizing him as one of the top performers among his peers.