Tips from the pros to improve your sales
Most entrepreneurs aren't going to enroll in a full-time degree program in salesmanship. So here's a crash course on the qualities that make a salesperson great.
From Greg Cox, president and chief operating officer of Dale Carnegie-Chicago, a corporate sales training and leadership organization:
• Differentiate yourself. You need customers to see what sets your product apart and why it's better than the competition's. "Sales people sell, meaning the client doesn't quite believe and we get them to believe. If a customer doesn't see the difference in your product, you get them to see the difference. If they think they're all the same, you get them to think differently."
• Be a consultant, not a peddler. Show clients exactly how your product will work for their businesses and how it will improve the bottom line. "You have to be able to say, 'Here's what other companies have been able to learn by going with us. Here's some results that other people have been able to achieve by doing this.' "
• Don't slack off. "Right now, in this economy, if you want great results, you have to work smart and hard. A good work ethic is going to be key for sales people right now."
• Follow a process. "Most sales people try to wing it. They go in and see what happens. . . . People who are decent at that, those same people, if they have a formal process, their results get way better." Mr. Cox teaches that the sales process involves developing rapport, learning about a client's needs and developing a "Cinderella-slipper" solution for the customer. The final step, Mr. Cox says, is motivating the client to take action by creating a sense of urgency to buy.
• Truly understand the client's needs. Listen, listen, listen. "You have to understand what we call the client's pain. What is it about their current situation that is really undesirable? For example, if I'm trying to sell you a new oven, I'm going to want to understand whether you cook a lot, did you just redo your kitchen, or what is it that you don't like about your current oven? . . .In that way, when I get you to talk about the new oven, I have a much better way of selling it to you."
From Daniel Strunk, managing director of the Center for Sales Leadership at DePaul University:
• Communicate value. "Sales is about the ability to communicate value and it's about the ability to understand the buyer's needs and satisfy them."
• Use technology to investigate leads and the potential buyer. "We have a class in which students prepare a two-page dossier on the buyer simply using Facebook, LinkedIn and other Internet sources that help students build out a profile. . . . The ability to prospect from a technical point of view has never been more detailed."
From Jeremy Ulmer, a former sales rep at Xerox and DHL who now runs Chicago-based consultancy Sales Coaching Habits:
• It may sound simplistic, but exude energy and a positive attitude. "Every week, every day, I had a really positive mind-set. You've got to have consistent energy to work well in sales."
• Take the long view. "I spent over six months on a couple Fortune 500 companies before I could even get a first meeting. There's times when you have to keep pushing even though you've been told no by certain people. Even if one person tells you no, go to somebody else. If your ego is getting bruised, sales is going to be tough for you."
• Learn from the best. "As soon as I got to Xerox, I was looking at who the top sales people were. I wanted to know who was best and then take the time to watch what they were doing . . . and be mentored by them."
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