If you’ve read or heard anything from Jeffrey Gitomer, you know that “People hate to be sold, but they LOVE to Buy!!”
Be a Consultant -
People are naturally skeptical of sales people…especially if you’ve got the outgoing (in your face) personality, even if it’s genuine. In order to get around this, I’ve done my best to take on the role of a consultant more than a sales guy. One of the products I rep is called RFTrack.NET. It is an RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) software geared for asset inventory and monitoring for medium to large businesses. Many of the people I speak to have a limited understanding of RFID so I make it a point to give them 30 minutes of my time in a training or teaching scenario to bring them up to speed on the state of RFID. This is designed to give them the tools and knowledge they need to make an informed decision about an asset tracking solution for their company whether they go with my product or not. So I give them industry standard information and let them know the benefits and drawbacks of an RFID solution.
A lot of the inbound leads I get are from people that report directly to the CFO, CIO, CTO or other C-level executive, and with this in mind I let them know that I am ready, willing, and able to help them with whatever they need to bring to their boss. Generally this relationship is such that CIO makes the ultimate decision, but it is very heavily based on the input of the researcher. By offering your services to help the researcher look good to their boss, you have added value to your services.
Never Sell on Price -
Once you’ve made somebody look good in front of their boss, you’re officially a partner…no longer the sales guy. From here it is much easier to a) make the sale, and b) upsell with other products, services, and/or consulting. If you find yourself losing sales and they tell you it’s because the other guy gave them a better price, you’ve done something wrong even if you’re selling a commodity that they can get from 6-8 other people. Ultimately, people buy because of their perceived value, even if they say they are buying on price.
Value comes in many forms. It could be a piece of research your company has done to show that there is a market for your product. It could be learning their language (how they talk about products, services, markets, demand, value, and their boss) and using it when you communicate with them. It could be any number of complicated things or something as simple as developing a friendship with them. When it comes right down to it, a laugh can be worth a $1000. Or more if the deal is big enough.
Closing Statement -
To quote Jeffrey Gitomer once again, “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not so equal, people STILL want to do business with their friends.”
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