The Art of Selling: Why Trust and Confidence Win in Business Every Time
The most important product a salesperson offers any potential customer is their word. This is where trust begins, and for that matter, where trust could end just as well.
Confidence sells. Confidence is contagious. Confidence creates momentum. But where does that confidence come from? It comes from you! Sure, “winging it” works to a point, but it doesn’t have substance. Depth does.
Why Trust Is the Real Product You’re Selling
Do your homework first. It does not matter what you are selling; it could be a product or an idea. Let’s face it, every time we open our mouths, we are selling something – why we think our favorite team is going to the World Series, or what city had the best pizza? Yes, I know Chicago has the best pizza – thin (tavern-style) or thick.
Notice I did not answer if my favorite team (the Cubs) is going to the World Series, because we all know it will be the Dodgers. I am, however, confident the Cubs will make the playoffs.
Thus, confidence has levels. And it’s all based on your knowledge. Knowledge used to come from history, be it things in our past, things we learned in school, or even things we learned the hard way. Funny how the latter are the ones we remember most.
As much as I knew every product I sold inside and out, I certainly did not know everything about the billions of dollars of goods I sold during my career. I knew my limitations and, more importantly, I knew who to ask.
Asking someone else something that you think you should know is not a weakness; it’s a strength. It’s also how you learn for next time.
I was always smart enough to hire people smarter than me; granted, the bar may have been low, but, like the book says, “It Worked For Me.”
It’s the team behind the salesperson that makes the salesperson successful. Customers respect that. Trust me, no one wants to work with a one-person team; where’s the backup?
A salesperson sells himself first, his company second, and his products third. The best way is to let that prospective client talk; better yet, ramble on about his company, his competition, his products, and, most importantly, what makes his company unique in his marketplace. Your job is to listen and absorb, taking as few notes as possible.
It’s of most value to look them in the eye as they speak. When they are done, ask if you can reiterate what you just heard, just so you don’t miss anything. And if you did, that’s okay! That person on the other side of the desk will have instant respect for you.
Know Thy Customer and Know Thy Competition
Again, always do your homework on your company. What is the value-added proposition you bring to the market? How do you go to the market, direct or through second-tier resellers? What makes you different than your top competitor? And, of course, never, EVER mention that competitor. On the contrary, never give them an excuse to go find them.
No company or salesperson really is a one-stop shop for the customer. You cannot carry everything in your company portfolio. This is why you want to earn the customer’s trust as a “Trusted Advisor.” You will know that you have reached that lofty perch the first time the customer calls to ask for your thoughts on a product you don’t carry.
Congratulations, you’ve made it! Great selling.
Now the key is maintaining it. No one is perfect, yet perfection is always the goal. It’s a challenge to keep up with all the new products being announced daily/weekly in various marketplaces. Log on to the sites that matter to your customers, whether you carry the product or not, if only to get alerts to stay current on new products and technologies.
How to Become a Trusted Advisor (Not Just Another Salesperson)
Another great “trusted advisor” move is to make the customer aware of new products that your company does not carry, but the customer does. They will interpret this as you looking out for their best interests. Because you did!
Any opportunity to get in front of the customer in person or on a phone call adds to your selling reputation with them. They will see you as someone who looks out for them, regardless of whether you carry that particular product line.
During your trips, you may find out that one of that customer’s key vendors has lost access to one of the critical product lines. Reaching out to the customer to share the news – not to badmouth the company that lost the product line – but to let them know of other quality merchants in the territory who carry the line, or even the district manager in that territory would save him some time. And time is money.
You never know; the customer may use this news as an opportunity to open a door for you by asking if you are selling any products with similar functionality. Remember, any communication with a customer is quality time. When you do offer him an alternative product, never, ever badmouth the other manufacturer’s product, especially since the customer had been purchasing it prior.
There’s no need to offer him a substitute unless he asks for one. Either you carry that other brand, or you don’t. Let him offer you the opportunity to substitute. Given that chance, don’t bash the other product; remember, he had been buying it. Bashing the product would be bashing him.
Wait for the opening. Let him ask you if you know of any brands matching the performance of that other product. This is where you can show your true value. Don’t just ship him in a similar device. Ask him if he has ever met with the Regional Product Manager for that brand before. If he hasn’t, and assuming you have spoken to them before (you should have!), offer to bring him into the company so he can meet with him (and you).
If he wants to look for alternatives, send him some datasheets for those products and let him know once he has had a chance to review them. You’d be happy to come by and walk his team through the pros and cons of these versus his original product.
Once you and he find what he is looking for, arrange for the District Sales Manager for that product line to come out and walk him through the product offering directly. There’s no threat in doing this, as you walked the DSM into the deal. You just became his best friend.
This is how you end up owning an account, and eventually, the District Sales Manager who, no doubt, will now route new customers your way.
Never go into a deal without Knowing Thy Customer and Knowing Thy Competition, the top two rules in Jeff’s Sales Commandments.
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To learn about this entire journey, pick up a copy of 𝙄𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚: 𝙈𝙮 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 today! Also available now in audiobook format!
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