Marketing Column

 

Kicking Butt at Sales

 

By Chris Knusden

 

As a college student, I remember the day my venture finance class was visited by a local venture capitalist. "What's the most important activity your business can be engaged in?" he asked. The class looked stumped. Was it accounting? Was it software development? Was it operations? I raised my hand and sheepishly replied, "Sales?" My classmates gave me a strange look. The VC stood from his chair, looked over the class and replied, "He is absolutely right."

From that day on I vowed to become a great salesperson. Over the last 10 years, my skills have evolved and even today I know I have much to learn about being an effective salesperson. It's a continual learning process. I'd like to share several axioms I have learned about sales that may help you in your efforts.

 

1. Build Real Relationships

To become good at sales, you need to understand relationships. You need to have real empathy. You need to be interested in truly helping your customer instead of earning a short-term commission. You need to build trust by being genuinely interested in helping the customer solve his or her problems. Being good at genuine relationship development is more important than developing "sales skills."

 

2. Consulting is Different Than Sales

I like to approach potential clients as though I were a consultant for the company. Consulting is always about the customer — sales is always about you. If the customer believes you are there to solve problems or educate them, they are more likely to open up and tell you exactly what you need to do to get their business.

 

3. Listen

The most important skill a salesperson can develop is listening. Most salespeople lose business because they are too busy talking and not asking the customer the right questions. In sales you will naturally encounter walls put up by the prospect. The way to overcome those walls is to close your mouth and listen to the customer's problems. The most important skill possessed by all successful salespeople is listening.

 

4. Ask Good, Open-Ended Questions

What are your goals? What problems are you trying to solve? What are you looking to get out of your marketing dollars? What's the one thing you'd like to change right now about the way your company does business? What's working and not working for you in your marketing effort? What are your competitors doing that drives you crazy? What keeps you up at night? What are your customers asking you for that you're having a hard time giving them? If there was one thing that I could help you change, what would it be? What's the one problem you need to solve right now? Ask open-ended questions, then listen and take notes so you don't forget what you've learned.

 

5. Overcome Objections

To overcome customer objections, first listen to the objection. Then restate the objection to make sure you are clear on the concern. Then acknowledge the objection with empathy. Then overcome the objection. Don't get offended. If you are to this point of the process, the customer wants to buy.

 

6. The Close

To close the sale, simply ask the client for their business. It's as uncomplicated as that. You don't need the Zig Ziglar books. Just simply ask for their business. If they object, go back into objection resolution mode (see No. 5) and then ask for their business again. Repeat the process until you walk out with the sale.

 

Bottom line: solve problems, sell benefits not features, sell value, show value, listen, educate, have empathy and build real relationships. By doing these things correctly, I promise you will see a dramatic increase in your sales.

 

Chris Knudsen is an entrepreneur, consultant and adjunct business professor at Westminster College. His blog is widely read at www.chrisknudsen.biz and he can be reached at ctknud@gmail.com.

 

Launch - Mar/Apr 2007