When focusing on the 11 habits of highly successful sales professionals, the most important habit to establish is also the hardest one to master, because it requires a complete, profound shift in attitude. Most sales professionals approach customers looking for opportunities to sell something; this is the main challenge most sales professionals face and the main reason that the sales profession is so poorly understood. However, highly successful sales professionals have discovered that by adopting a different perspective they can take their business to the next level. Instead of seeing the customer as an opportunity to make a sale, they see an opportunity to help the customer meet their personal and business objectives while building a relationship that transcends the sales professional’s personal interests. It boils down to this:
In order to grow a relationship with the customer that will not only lead to a sale today, but will continue to drive revenue year after year, you must stop asking yourself “What can I SELL?” and start asking, “How can I HELP?”
This shift in attitude creates an immediate shift in focus. A relationship based on selling focuses first on products, price and terms. It can also lead to a battle of wits between the customer and the sales professional, in which the customer is subtly put on the defensive as he tries to avoid being taken advantage by someone who is “just here to sell me something.”
A relationship based on helping the customer will focus first on the customer’s needs, challenges, concerns, problems, goals and dreams. Therefore, before you can truly help the customer — by providing solutions and support that will impact the things they care about — you must find out what they really care about. This process requires a level of patience, sensitivity and skill that doesn’t always come naturally to sales professionals who have been trained to think first about things like value propositions and closing skills. In fact, often times, “Helping” your customer may have nothing to do with what you sell!
For this reason, highly successful sales professional have developed the ability to practice something called Customer-Centered Interaction, which is the art of talking to the customer first about the things that are important to him, instead of the things that are important to the sales professional, and continuing in this vein long enough to gain a clear, comprehensive, and in-depth understanding of every aspect of your customer’s situation.
This sounds like a tall order, and it is. It is actually even more difficult than it sounds, because there are significant and often unrecognized obstacles standing between sales professionals and their ability to authentically connect with the customer.
One of the biggest obstacles to practicing customer-centered interaction is the set of assumptions and expectations we bring with us into the sales conversation. We pride ourselves on being experts on the industry, the market and our products. Because of this pride in our expertise, we assume we already know what is best for the customer, so we begin the conversation with our minds already made up regarding the solution we want to offer. Right from the start, then, our interest is on selling them our preconceived solution rather than learning what their needs are. This tendency to assume and jump to conclusions kills our natural curiosity and our willingness to be open so that the conversation can go where the customer needs it to go. It can also escalate into what are known as “killer assumptions,” because making these assumptions can lead to killing a great opportunity.
Sales professionals take at least two significant risks when they focus on trying to sell their preconceived solution instead of helping meet the customer’s real needs. We have already touched on the first, which is to make the customer feel pressured and defensive. You might still end up making a sale, but you may miss the opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will lead to increased sales year after year.
As unfortunate as that sounds, the second risk is even worse. When you focus on selling your solution instead of helping the customer find the solution that they feel good about, you will almost always leave money on the table. It is only by patiently building a relationship with the customer that you can uncover all of their needs. In doing so, you will very often discover opportunities you didn’t know existed, and the customer may discover that you could provide solutions that he didn’t know existed. Either way, by making your top priority that of helping the customer instead of just selling them something, you are often able to grow the size of the deal and create more value for both sides.
Here are three best practices to help you stay focused on helping over selling:
Of course you are an expert regarding the products, the market and everything else about your industry. If you aren’t, you should be. Your customer expects this level of expertise. When the time is right, you will be able to draw on your expertise to help the customer create the best solution to meet their needs. However, during the discovery and relationship-building process, it is very easy to undermine the trust process and fail to fully meet the customer’s needs if you inject your “expert” opinions too soon.
Most people don’t appreciate being told what to do – even if the advice is absolutely the best they could ask for – until they have had a chance to tell their story. As they tell their story, they are gauging your reaction, reading your body language, trying to see if you “get it” - all of which contributes to their willingness to trust your advice when the time comes for you to share it.
This “No Expert” rule applies even if the customer begins the conversation by begging for your advice. Whether you realize it or not, you don’t have enough information yet to really understand the problem. Resist the temptation to diagnose too quickly. Take the time to understand all the facts, especially the ones not in evidence yet.
Most sales professionals are only interested in closing a sale, but the customer usually has a lot more on their mind. They are probably dealing with many interconnected issues which impact their situation and determine the full set of needs that must be met. However, not all of these needs will be immediately obvious. In fact, most customers don’t even fully know and understand all their needs or issues. However, all of these other interconnected issues have a part to play, and they can impact the scope of the solution that will resolve whatever issues the customer is dealing with.
No matter what issues are involved, you can be certain that the customer is dealing with a level of uncertainty that creates emotional filters and obstacles that influence how you and your solutions will ultimately be perceived. You must assume that there are many unknowns waiting to be revealed, understood, and factored into the final solution. Don’t be anxious to push your solutions; instead, be patient and let the customer tell their story.
Highly successful sales professionals are in the habit of asking plenty of questions and then listening carefully to the answers. This is the sales professional’s only defense against killer assumptions. It is also the only way to encourage the customer to tell you their story. This is such an important skill that we will devote the next article exclusively to the art of asking questions and listening effectively. In the mean time, just remember this: asking questions signals to the customer that you want to help, and pushing your products communicates in no uncertain terms that you are only there to sell them something.
- 10% of the time _____ 25%_____ 50% _____
- What should this percentage be? _____
Walter Rogers is the President and CEO of Baker Communications. Baker Communications is a sales training and development company specializing in helping client companies increase their sales and management effectiveness. He can be reached at 713-627-7700.
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