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COUNTER INTELLIGENCE (August 2008) |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
An effective salesperson is no accident
By Oliver Post
With summer now in full bloom, it is quite possible that distributors will have some rookies on staff—either helping out during the summer or starting new careers in the electrical distribution sector. In either case, there is a very good chance they have little idea of what it takes to work in the business.
In my experience, one of the most prevalent areas in which the inexperienced fail is sales. While certain job classifications—such as logistics, technical support or producing a bill of materials—clearly require some special skills and training, many young people are under the mistaken impression that success in sales relies solely on personality; the “gift of gab”, so to speak.
While
it’s certainly important for a salesperson to be comfortable talking to
customers (and this applies to inside sales, too, not just the guys on
the road), it is simply not enough. Even experienced and successful
salespeople can occasionally benefit from a reminder of why they do
well.
And it
boils down to this: a successful salesperson fosters a clear
understanding of his customers’ needs, has strong belief in how his
company is able to meet them, displays effective time management and
exhibits dogged follow up.
Understanding customer needs
Understanding
customers’ needs is very simple to say but very difficult to
consistently achieve. Customers aren’t always entirely clear about what
they’re really looking for, and it’s important you don’t confuse needs
with wants. Sometimes they will state a commitment to nothing but the
best, branded quality products out there, but continually gravitate
toward the least expensive products in your offering. Other customers
may pledge to be only looking for the best value you can offer—with no
desire for value-added services—only to be found regularly on the phone
or online looking for assistance from experienced staff.
The
effective listener will understand what questions to ask and try to
combine the resulting answers with any information on the customer’s
‘real behaviour’ to determine what he can offer. And there’s nothing
wrong with pointing out a customer’s habits:
I know
you say that you’re able to handle your own jobs, but on the last three
jobs you called our guys every day for assistance. This is obviously an
important resource for you and I’d like you to consider what we can
offer you when you’re deciding on who you choose for your next job.
Knowing
this can help you fend off price-only competition. It also helps you
staff properly, and helps you see your company’s place in the
marketplace through the eyes of your customer.
How your company fits in
No
company can be all things to all people, and it is important for
salespeople to understand the positioning of a company in its
marketplace. Perhaps it is the full service operation that prides
itself on having extensive inventory. Perhaps it is price
competitiveness. Maybe it is that the business is small and friendly,
with the owner at the beck and call of customers.
Customers
ultimately decide these things for you, but they do it with your help.
There is usually a combination of qualities that give your customers an
impression of your company. Perhaps it is small and friendly, which is
good, but maybe they also think you’re not very price competitive, or
have a limited selection.
It
critical for a salesperson’s approach to be consistent with market
positioning. Know how to accentuate the positive and address the
negative.
Commit to time management
I do not
know a single person who does not bristle at the mere mention of the
phrase “time management”. It usually elicits a response of “Time
management is not the issue... I just have too much to do!”
While
this is possibly true, some time management issues are important. One
is to have a plan. When you’re on the road, you shouldn’t be
criss-crossing all over town. You need to organize your appointments as
much as possible around your time constraints. And make appointments.
Many business owners don’t like it when you just drop in on them. (I
read an account of one successful salesperson who never makes an
appointment for after 4 p.m. He uses that time to set up next week’s
appointments.)
Know
where your business is coming from and spend time there. There’s no
point in spending one afternoon a week at a customer who does
$500/month with you (with no capacity for any more) just because he’s
on your way home. Use that time to build your territory.
Dropping
off some flyers, catalogues or sales sheets is not a sales call, and
there’s a very small chance the information will even be reviewed. When
you learn of business you didn’t know existed, by all means drop in and
make an appointment. Then bring those flyers, catalogues or sales
sheets with you to the meeting. It’s much more effective.
Which brings me to the next point: persistence.
Make follow-up a way of life
Many
salespeople give up on a customer too easily, yet reams of studies have
all drilled down to the same conclusion: most customers need to be
called half a dozen times, and most salespeople stop at three.
I do not
believe that customers buy after half a dozen because they’ve finally
been sold, or it took them that long to hear your message. I believe
reality is much simpler: in the time it took a salesperson to make half
a dozen calls, something changed with the customer; perhaps he’s having
a problem with his current supplier, or maybe his business needs have
changed and now line up better with your proposition.
Either
way, it’s not so much a case of being in the right place at the right
time as it is of being in that same place over and over again until it
becomes the right place at the right time.
If, in
that time, you’ve built up a clear impression that you and your company
are there when the customer needs them, you will get the call when the
opportunity arrives.
Finding
all these qualities strongly represented in a single individual is
rare. More often than not, an individual is stronger in some areas than
others. Without question, sales is hard, but it can be learned—to the
mutual benefit of distributors and their customers.
Oliver Post can be reached at
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