I was at a seminar recently in London where the motivational speaker talked about his approach to business and shared some interesting stories of his sales experiences.
Whilst he was chatting he posed the question: ‘When was the last time you woke up and said today I would like to be sold a car?’ It’s true, we just don’t speak or think in these terms; we want to buy things rather than be sold to.
The psychology of sales is something I have always instilled in sales people when delivering sales programmes, and this phrase summed things up for me perfectly. Many sales people make the whole experience about them, helping them to achieve their targets and therefore achieve their end of month bonus. Most of us however quickly switch off when dealing with a pushy, aggressive sales person or at least repent at leisure having succumbed and agreed to buy.
This doesn’t mean you have to be someone’s best friend to get them to buy from you, in fact for many people this would also be a good enough reason to run a mile. We are all wired very differently and therefore we should play to the needs of the person we are dealing with.
Some will buy based on logic while others succumb based on emotion. Many of us will be assertive in every aspect of life whilst others are more contained; the combination of traits will impact on how we buy. Developing face to face sales skills is vital to success; picking up on these signals and being able to flex your style to suite different people can really help.
For ‘Logical Assertive’ types:
- React quickly, as they tend to be fast decision makers
- Give them solutions that allow them to make the final choice
- Be assertive yourself while always being respectful of them
With those ‘Logical Contained’ individuals:
- Be prepared and have a methodical precise flow to your discussion
- No social talk, just stick to business
- Give plenty of detail with a paced, step by step explanation
For ‘Emotional Assertive’s’:
- Expect them to be both late & forgetful so patience is key
- Introduce spontaneity, excitement and talk fast
- Make your ideas sound personalised and new
Finally for ‘Emotional Contained’ types:
- Be prepared to spend time with them
- Show them you value their opinions
- Be genuine and develop trust
The other challenge we often face is more about how we view ourselves or the situation we are in.
On one of my first sales visits I remember being told by my manager not to let nerves get the better of me. His take was that we were two sets of people with differing businesses, having a purposeful conversation about how we could potentially work and support one another to achieve our aims. This attitude took all the pressure out of the situation and I began to enjoy and be more successful during sales meetings.
If we are talking about a product rather than a service, the philosophy remains the same, we are supporting someone to make the right buying decision. Once we change our mind-set from being ‘in sales’ to being ‘in support’ the whole process becomes a very different experience. By demonstrating that we ‘get them’ people tend to ‘buy us’ as well as our products and services. The basis of this approach also works in telesales, although there are additional tools and techniques we need to apply.
Our Four Steps to Successful Sales programme helps unravel these and many other mysteries to the whole sales process.
If you are interested in how to help others make the right buying decision then get in touch at enquiries@fourstepstraining.com or call us on 023 9248 1549.
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