Do You Sell, Form Relationships, or.....?

When sales people look to sell their product or service, many fail to get to the root of human psychology.  What I mean by this is that these overly-aggressive sales people focus on what they're selling rather than focus on their client's need to have their problem solved.  Someone will buy from us only when they 1) Trust us first. and 2) Listen and accept second.  There is no guarantee ever that 2) will happen, but certainly if your client doesn't trust you, they are not going to ever buy into your idea.


Trying to get to the sale too quickly just doesn't work.  You need to understand your client's problem and then come up with solutions that work for them first and for you second.


A short time ago, I received a long letter in response to some detailed information sent.  The letter was riddled with reasons why certain things did not solve my client's problems.  This helped me narrow down what will work for them.  Now, some people would read the letter verbatim and conclude that this person is a waste of time and not interested.  I on the other hand read objections as signs of interest.  We just need to get past those objections and come to the root of the client's problems.  Think about it..........why would this person go to the trouble of answering back in a detailed manner if they weren't interested?  What do you do when you aren't interested in reading a piece of what you consider junk mail?  Do you send a detailed 3 page letter back telling the vendor why you're not interested?  Things that make you go...hmmmm. :)


So, in summary, you are constantly driven to satisfy internal and external customers whether you like it or not.  This applies to everyone, not just "sales people".  Creating relationships with the people you deal with is the first step in "selling" yourself, and your work.  Trust comes in first and only then can you get the other person to listen to you.  From there, how you handle yourself determines whether you "make the sale" or not.  Sales is not about selling....it's about forming a relationship with the other person and solving a problem that they have.  Everyone, whether they consider themselves a sales person or not, sells every single day.  The next time a problem arises, go ahead and handle it with tact and professionalism, and solve it in the end.  If problems didn't exist, none of us would have jobs or businesses.  So solve a problem, satisfy your client and you'll be compensated for your efforts.  It's not always ideal, and it can never be that way but be exceptional in your work and great things will happen.


Someone recently said it really well....being good gives poor results.....being excellent brings good results and being exceptional, produces excellent results.


Until next time, have a fantastic day!