As a consumer do you prefer to buy (purchase, acquire, invest, etc.) or to be sold? Most people prefer to make the self-determined decision to make a purchase and usually equate the concept of “being sold” to the category of being tricked, coerced, bamboozled or “forced to buy against their better judgment”.
As a salesperson, it is your job to inform, enlighten, guide and help the prospect to a make buying decision; if you fail to grasp that concept and mistakenly think that instead it is your job to “sell” (using trickery and guile), then your life as a salesperson will just be that much more stressful and difficult.
Ask anyone and they will tell you that they would rather buy something because they really want it as opposed to being “sold” something by some slick talking salesperson.
People, first and foremost, buy things because they think the product or service they acquire will satisfy a need or desire they have. They do not buy because they like you, or because you “built a relationship” with them—they buy because they believe what you are selling will help them in some way.
Some consumers sometimes mistakenly buy from disingenuous salespeople (conmen) who misrepresent what they are selling (lie) and tell prospects that their needs or desires will all be met; but these buyers will be dissatisfied with their purchase, and later rightfully accuse the salesperson of “selling them” and often force the salesperson to deal with the repercussions or consequences of such a transaction—which is not actually a sale at all, but fraud.
There are some sales philosophies that promote soft-selling with things like long-term relationship building and there are other sales philosophies that endorse crush-selling tactics such as pressuring consumers by being aggressive, hardnosed, and using confrontational means. Both strategies have varying degrees of success—but as the saying goes “if you throw enough stuff against a wall, some of it is bound to stick”.
Relationship Building—do you want the prospect to date you or buy from you?
The truth is that underlying every legitimate sale/purchase made with any tactic (soft sell, crush sell, etc.) is the undeniable fact that the client had a need or desire that he felt the service/product would satisfy.
It is not the “relationship” you build that gets the prospect to buy and it is not the slick sales tactic used that corners a prospect into giving up his credit card—it is the belief the prospect has that he will benefit from the purchase that makes him buy.
You should know that no one is going to buy from you merely because you have kept in touch with them for months “building a relationship”; you are not dating the prospect, you are trying to prove that you can resolve their problem (and either you can or you can’t).
The length of time a sale takes to develop and close is not bound by some arbitrary limit—it can be very quick or it can be slow (depending on your sales skills and the complexity of the problem/solution at hand).
Follow a sales process
A true sales professional uses an effective question-based discovery process to uncover a prospect's actual needs and wants. Based on the answers he receives, a comprehensive presentation can be given that enlightens the prospect that the solution offered can fulfill his need/desire.
Only after the realization is achieved by the prospect that the proposed offering is the solution to his need/desire, can a salesperson begin to help the prospect get past his fears and apprehensions about making the buying decision—and that is essential, a salesperson needs to be able to help the prospect overcome his hesitation in a professional and caring manner.
In today's world of selling you are the prospects’ guide to making the buying decision. When you have exercised a realistic qualification, a comprehensive sales interview and, an enlightening and engaging presentation, only then is closing a natural conclusion.
Jamie Sene
Jamie Sene has over 20 years experience in marketing and transactional sales from working in the private sector, public companies and his own businesses; he has a broad and proven track record both in marketing and sales. Jamie started his business career in sales in his early twenties, selling in various direct sales and telesales companies. This is where he learned the fundamentals of selling. Later on Jamie got deeply into sales management, becoming Vice President of Sales for a national consulting firm. After years of successful selling Jamie moved over into marketing where he established and successfully ran marketing departments for several publically held international companies (SmartForce, SmartCertify, Skillsoft). Today, in his spare time, he still works as a free lance marketer. SmartMarketingGuys.com is Jamie’s way of sharing his hard earned experience with those interested in learning more about the fundamentals of marketing and wishing to keep up-to-date with the latest proven marketing techniques. Visit Jamie's blog http://www.jamie-sene.com/