As the owner of a company that provides sales training most people would say it isn’t in my best interest to reveal the secret to selling. The fact of the matter is that knowing the secret is the easy part. The hard part is in knowing what to do with it and how to go about doing it.
In the movie City Slickers the character Curly (played by the late Jack Palance) uttered the classic phrase “It’s just one thing”. The one thing for selling successfully is this: “If you don’t want to be treated like every other sales person stop acting like every other sales person.” If you want to be treated differently you need to behave differently and that requires adopting a sales process that is 180 degrees removed from the typical approach.
The typical approach looks something like this:
1) Generate interest
2) Uncover needs
3) Present value added solutions
4) Overcome objections
5) Ask for the sale
Don’t get me wrong, I have sold a TON of stuff over the years with that system but it just doesn’t work that well anymore. Why? Because buyers have figured it out and have developed their system to counteract the process. The way we buy has evolved much faster than the way we sell.
The “new” sales approach is much more humanistic and, when executed properly, doesn’t feel the least bit “salesy” or manipulative. My good friend Ed Albertson likes to say that “selling is both an art and a science” and I absolutely agree although I believe the balance is moving more towards art every day. Selling should not be something you “do” to someone but a process that engages the prospect emotionally and intellectually while allowing the prospect to be more in control along the way. I think this definition of selling from Dan Sullivan says it best: “Selling is getting someone intellectually engaged in a future result that is good for them and getting them to emotionally commit to take action.”
I will write a future blog on what the “new” sales process should look like but for now just remember the one thing: “If you don’t want to be treated like every other salesperson stop acting like every other salesperson.”
Sandler Training in Denver provides sales training, management and leadership training, and professional development for individuals and organizations. Let us know how we can help your team.
