Successful Selling

There was a sketch on Saturday Night Live several years ago, mocking the faux cheerfulness of some in the customer service industry.  Airline stewards were targeted in particular in this instance, as they cheerful force passengers to exit from the plane, bypassing, ignoring and arguing with various customer complaints.  As each passenger came forward they were greeted with the same: “Thank you, Buh bye now” regardless of their unique, individual situations.  And there is laughter at this spoof because we have all experienced this at one time or another in customer service situations.  It doesn’t matter how cheerfully (or not cheerfully) you have had a complaint ignored; you walk away from the situation feeling frustrated.  It is not likely that you would want to make a purchase from the person who just refused to address your concerns.

We say frequently that a career in sales is really about building relationships.  Many people underestimate the importance of this component of the profession.  But the cold, hard fact is that sometimes a potential client will object to a sales pitch not because of any underlying concern with the product, but because of a distaste or distrust for the company or the person doing the selling.  A career in sales is really about being able to make excellent first impressions, and if you have not been able to successfully accomplish this you will likely find that you will be stumbling across many roadblocks in your sales pitches.  Moreover, one of the fastest ways to create a poor first impression is to mishandle objections raised by a potential client or to have conducted yourself in a less than professional manner.

Sometimes, in an effort to show that you have a firm knowledge base, you may find yourself wanting to argue with a client over the benefits of your product or concerns that they have raised.  It may seem so simple to you: “Why would they think this option has too high a price? Just look at the cost analysis!”  However, remember that selling is really about staying positive.  You never want it to appear to your client that you are aggressive and attempting to show them up.  Address concerns, but be sure you don’t pull out stacks and stacks of research to negate them as if they are stupid for even bringing it up.  A potential client should feel as if you are working with them, not against them.

While it is possible to over-answer concerns, in a way, it is also possible to make the opposite mistake.  Some people will hear a concern and simply ignore it, perhaps even with empty promises to come back to the problem at a later date.  This sends the message that you have something to hide (whether that is true or not) and instantly makes the client distrust you, the pitch and the product.  Be careful to really listen to what the customer is saying to you and take the time to respond honestly to what you hear.  Provide answers. If you don’t have an answer readily available, thank them for the question, let them witness you make a note of it, and respond to it as soon as you have the necessary information.  Never ever ignore a concern altogether. You want to cement a positive relationship with the client, which means listening and communicating effectively.

Remember that many times it is how the client reacts to the salesperson that will close a sale.  Your product and company have much to offer, but many times it is ultimately how the seller comes across that will convince a buyer that this is a worthwhile partnership to build on.  When you keep the focus on people, not just the product or the growth charts, you will find that your sales pitches will become much more successful and you will not encounter objections directed at the person, rather than the product.  Give the type of customer service that you would like to receive and don’t find yourself enacting a sketch from Saturday Night Live: “Thank you, Buh Bye now!”