Having been a sales professional and then leading many sales teams over the years, I firmly believe the fundamental base of sales is that it is one person selling to another person. You can read or study many sales methodologies and processes but when it all comes down to it, it’s a transaction between people. Yes, there are some common steps to follow to create an effective sales transaction but even the best process doesn’t address the human element.
The key to being successful in sales is based on the old adage ‘people buy from people they like’ - but ‘like’ doesn’t equate to just being personable. Being personable, respectful and professional are expected behaviours in any business relationship but the key to being ‘likeable’ is underpinned by two critical characteristics that build trust - credibility and capability.
To be credible you need to be professional as appropriate for your industry. There would be little point wearing a suit to complete a trial of boots on a demolition site so research your customer and their industry, know their business as well as they do and dress, talk and act appropriately.
Be prepared for all interactions with your customer including going back to basics like planning the open questions you need to ask so you can uncover your customer’s true needs (which is not always what they state) and understand what challenges they and their business may be facing.
Make sure you do thorough competitor research and match your product, and your competitors, to your customer’s needs. Knowing where your product best meets your customer’s needs will ensure you communicate this in a way that’s relevant to your customer.
To support this, an effective sales professional also demonstrates capability – not by talking about it, but by actions, ‘walking the talk’. This is best done by developing a product or service solution that does meet the customer needs and committing to delivery time or an implementation plan that is achievable and is inline with customer’s expectations.
Clear expectations for both parties, strong communication and a post sale follow up to review the process and check that all needs were met, will ensure you are seen as someone that delivers the right solution.
While there are many elements that factor into a buyer’s decision making, you’ll have the best chance of being on the final list for evaluation if you are ‘likeable’ and remembering that being ‘likeable’ isn’t about asking what the customer did on the weekend or supporting the same sports team!
“A sale is not something you pursue; it's what happens to you while you are immersed in serving your customer.” - unknown
