How doyou feel about the way you sell?
On any day of the week,you get in your car in the morning and you’re ready to go make yourfirst sales call.
In the back of yourmind you want to be successful today. You know you’re aprofessional, you know your product line, you know your company, youeven know your customer. But the reality is business is down.
You may be a littleconcerned about it. And you have to face the customer and listen towhat their situation is while still maintaining your sales attitude.Let me give you a few ideas about what you can think, say, and do inorder to create better feelings, better relationships, and bettersales outcomes during these tough times.
There are 3.5 criticalelements in creating the best scenario for you and your customer, butthe BIG PICTURE is, your business is down because THEIR business isdown.
The first element isthe way you feel about yourself. You cannever walk into a sales call thinking that things aren’t going togo your way — because when you do, they don’t. Rather you walk inthinking: What can I do to make the situation better? What can I doto help my customer? Who else do I know who may be able to providehelp to my customer? What ideas am I able to bring to the table thatmy customer will find valuable?
Ask yourself: Howstrong is my attitude? When the customer tells me what’s wrong, canI convert it to what might be right? As a salesperson, this thinkinggives you an opportunity to be in the right frame of mind to interactwith the customer. It may mean that you have to prepare more thenight before your sales call. It may mean you have to study themarket more. It may mean you have to work an extra hour or twohelping others build their business so that you can maintain yours.But in tough times, these are the things that build character, buildattitude, and create a career path of success for you — both as asalesperson and as a person.
The second elementis your language. I recommend that youbecome fluent in the language of YES! While others around youare whining, lamenting, complaining, and worrying, your job is to bestrong in your thoughts and in your words. You have to look at whatCAN be done.
You have to look at abetter way to say things. You have to ask your customer questions tofind out what good has happened, not just what bad has happened. Andin general, you have to be the person that others talk about in apositive way when you’re not there. If you think of yourself andposition yourself as the “go-to YES! guy,” when someone has aproblem, an idea, or needs help, they will immediately call you.
The third element isyour actions. It’sthe actions you take on behalf of your company, the actions you takeon behalf of yourself, and especially the actions you take on behalfof your customer. Helping your customers find customers. Helping yourcustomers find resources in the community that they can use. Evenhelping your customers by occasionally spending a day at their placeof business, helping them sell or serve.
Anything positive thatyou can do, and anything YES! that you can add to your customer’ssituation now will prove your value to them, not just in these times,but for all times. That’s your responsibility as a partner, notjust as a salesperson.
Figure out a way tofind the YES, and share it with people who will not only appreciateit, but will be thankful and loyal to you for helping them.
Element 3.5 is yoursincerity. The words you speak and the actions youtake have a silent voice. It’s the way your words sound, and theway others perceive your deeds. Your sincerity is evident either bypresence or absence, and you hold the key. Your belief system andyour genuine desire to be of service will make your wordstransferable, and your deeds recognized as sincere help.
And just so we’reclear, these 3.5 elements are not just actions to take in toughtimes, these are sales and personal development elements for alltimes.
I have one morepowerful economic strategy to share. If you want it, go towww.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enterthe word ECONOMY in the GitBit box.
