Welcome to this week’s post on sales and selling success.
Many media salespeople have a variety of options they can utilise as solutions for their customers – Websites, Social, Branded Content, AdWords, Local Targeted Display and of course their own mainstream media.
Problem is many of those salespeople are as confused as their customers (or confuse their customers)!
During my in-field coaching sessions with local salespeople I often see entire discussions driven by a product focus with the rep talking about their digital and mainstream properties. That immediately becomes a sales pitch in the mind of a customer and narrows any chance of having a great conversation about their needs.
A perfect example of this product only approach comes from a business owner who recently told me she regularly receives emails from various salespeople offering to improve her SEM and/or SEO to assist with her rankings and to do it cost effectively. Problem is she simply didn’t even understand what SEO or SEM was! It’s no surprise that she simply deletes the emails as they arrive.
The alternative approach
If you want to win more sales you need to do everything you can to give yourself an unfair advantage over your competitors. “It’s not you, it’s me,” is a classic breakup line, but “me, my, I” is what most salespeople talk about. My company, my product, my service is #1, the best, the only, the etc etc. Yackity, yackity, yack.
The secret to success in sales and selling is not “me, my or I” but the word “you“.
Three simple rules
Rule 1: Avoid product led discussions (and “me, my, our” statements).
Rule 2: Focus on a questioning approach and automatically “you and your” pops up.
Rule 3: Dig deeper. Don’t assumea need or opportunity exists – ensure its “real”. Test it.
If your meetings revolve around the products you sell rather than the solutions you can deliver, you are setting yourself up for failure. Product selling only works when they fit a previously devised marketing plan.
The questioners, the solution providers of the world are much less at the mercy of specific products – they have the expertise to recommend. That’s where success lies.
Until next week good solution selling!
About the author
Stephen Pead is a media industry veteran of 30 years with significant experience in direct sales, sales management and general management. He is based in Sydney and specialises in helping SME’s market their businesses more effectively and providing training for salespeople and sales managers.
He can be contacted at [email protected]
