The Role of Emotions in Selling
Emotions play a huge role in how we make decisions and this is particularly true when we are evaluating what to buy. Therefore, it behooves us as sales people to be skilled at evoking emotions as part of the selling process. The way we accomplish this is through the words and phrases that we use, for words are the tools that have the power to create feelings, both positive and negative. If we are able to tap into those feelings in a meaningful and effective way, we are more likely to make the sale.
Breaking through the Customer Mindset
Frequently when you read about selling and how to increase your sales results, the focus is on what you (the sales person) can do or say. To improve you do need to keep sharpening the saw and continue your quest to do better. But sometimes in that drive for excellence, we tend to focus so much on the technique or skill that we are developing that we forget to consider the most important part—how what we say or do is interpreted by our customer.
Interesting Openings
It’s been said that you create a person’s interest in—or resistance to—what you have to say in the first 20 seconds of your conversation. I’m not sure that time can be measured so precisely but I do believe that very early on you either stimulate interest or provoke resistance. So, if this is true, what can you do to make those 20 seconds work for you? The key is to say something pretty interesting.
I’ve learned that you can create interesting openings basically in three ways. First, you can use relevant facts
Bridging or Transition Statements
How do you switch from talking about personal things to a business conversation? Or transition from one product discussion to another? Bridging (also known as transition) statements allow us to move seamlessly and effortlessly from one topic to another. They can be incredibly important because they transition from one subject to a different one without losing the listener’s attention.
The key point is to keep the listener’s attention. We typically begin our conversations with some sort of small talk: “How was your vacation?” or “How about those Cubs?” At some point though, you will have to
Telling Your Story
We were brought up listening to stories. Stories capture our attention and involve us in ways that few other forms of communication can. Sales people tend to forget that every product that they sell also has a story. Learn how to tell your product story well and you’ll capture the attention of your customers and sell more.
What is your product story? It can be different for each customer. The story that you tell should include
Waving the Sales Call Flag
Many sales reps start a conversation with a potential customer by signaling “This is a sales call!” Few things are likely to turn off a listener more. Waving this “sales call flag” is basically letting your listener know that this conversation will be just like most other sales interactions they have had. It is as if the sales person is saying, “I want to talk you into buying something you may not want and may later regret but by gosh, I am going to do that because what I am doing is important.”
Gaining Access—both Physical and Mental
Pharmaceutical companies direct lots of resources at getting samples to patients. Not only does it help patients save money and give physicians the chance to see how a particular medicine works but samples also increase sales representatives’ access to doctors. Studies have repeatedly shown that without samples physicians would limit access to only 10% of sales representatives.
When you think about access, there are basically 2 types—mental and physical. No doubt
Thoughts on Being Compelling in 6 Steps
The word “compelling” conjures up an image of being persuasive….very persuasive. It conjures up someone taking the action or adopting the point of view you are advancing because it makes perfect sense emotionally and logically and it is in their best interest. If we are compelling in our sales conversations, the odds are that many of our customers or prospects will be impacted by what we say and buy our product.
What makes our words sound compelling to someone else? Words by themselves can be meaningless—it is how we combine them to communicate a message that’s important
Meaningful Dialogue and the 6 Rules of Engagement
Here’s a big idea—without meaningful dialogue, there can be no selling! What exactly does this mean? In brief, it means that unless you engage in a substantive truthful conversation, an interaction that is purposeful and worthwhile with your customer, you are not likely to sell anything.
In our previous blog, we’ve discussed the engine that drives success in selling when you are in front of a customer—KMR: Knowledge, Messaging and Relationships. Meaningful dialogue is often limited to those situations where
3 Traits of Great Sales Questions
The ability to create great questions is arguably the most important skill that any sales person can learn. Why? Think about what you are trying to accomplish when you sell—you are trying to change the mind of your customer so that they see your product/service as the better option than what they are currently using or considering. Unless people change the way they think, they are not likely to change the way they act. You must not only provoke thought; you must have them think differently enough to want to act on that “new way of thinking”. How