SalesTool Talk Newsletter: Jan 21st Issue
I was recently asked to speak to a group of business professionals on the Top 2 Rules from my book, 42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness.
This was quite the challenge as I can wax eloquent on 42 rules I carefully crafted into 7 key sections in the book:
- effective sales perspective
- sales process
- the salesperson
- territory management
- sales communications
- the sales meeting
- the sales close.
Nevertheless I selected 2 rules which are foundational for all salespeople, management and organizations. Simply put, sales effectiveness begins with the proper perspective.
2 Rules for a Proper Sales Perspective
By Michael Griego, Author of 42 Rules To Increase Sales Effectiveness
When Jerry was taught to restrain from discussing and demonstrating the product too soon and spend appropriate time to explore the application of his product to other departmental seats and broader implementation within the IT environment, he was surprised to see his average deal size increase by almost 25%.
Likewise, for those of us selling less complicated products - great as our products may be - our focus still needs to be on the simple use or application of our product. The point is that the product is not the focus; rather it is the application of the product as it addresses the issues, needs and problems of the customer.
For a simple self-test on this issue, ask yourself: “Do I speak about my products too much and too soon?
Rule #4 – It’s All About Your Customer
The sun sets and rises with customers whose purchase of products pay the bills.
So if it’s not about your products, then what is it all about? It’s all about your customer! In sales, the customer is number 1. The customer rules. The sun rises and sets with customers whose purchase of products pay the bills. Knowing this, why do we sometimes forget to focus on the customer? Because it’s much easier to talk about our products.
The best companies understand that it’s all about the customer. When I worked for IBM early in my career it was ingrained in all of us that the customer came first. IBM is a world-class engineering, manufacturing, services, sales and support organization. All efforts evolve around ultimately satisfying customer wants and needs. At IBM, Sales is King, but the Customer is Number 1.
I’ve never forgotten how that priority permeated the culture of the organization. While there was a healthy respect for our own products, sales prowess and service reputation, there was an almost reverential feeling toward our existing customers and prospects. This carried over into how we as salespeople approached, serviced and sold to them. It wasn’t always perfect, but the culture drove the effort. Even our selling process then carried the mantle Customer-Oriented Selling.
With the correct focus on the customer, the foundation for sales success and thus effectiveness is laid. If we respect our customers and prospects as people rather than as objects of attainment, then we approach, engage, discover, question, negotiate and close them with competent humanity. We do not badger, insult, barrage, belittle, disrespect, manipulate, or take advantage of those whom we, in essence, should seek to serve.
I daresay that when we approach our prospects and customers with a servant’s heart, a workman’s ethic, a quality product at a fair and reasonable price, we become a force to be reckoned with in the marketplace.
I once joined a firm and took over the territory of a rep that was fired for forging customer signatures on two deals. On my second week on the job I had to go out and apologize to upset customers for these egregious acts.
The next thing I did was create a systematic 90-day Customer Rejuvenation Program. I did not “approach and sell” during that period as much as simply “reach out and touch” my customers and prospects.
I approached customers and prospects with the assurance that - whatever concerns they had about the quality of our service and support - those days were past. A new day had come and it started with a professional and intelligent introduction to their new account team. By the end of my first year with that territory, I was the #1 sales revenue producer worldwide for the company. My customers loved me because I loved them first.
So ask yourself: “Do I put my customers first?”
In summary, we’ve just touched upon 2 key sales rules. Certainly there are many facets to effective selling, but having the right sales perspective about your products and your customers is a great place to start.
Michael Griego is the President/Founder of MXL Partners www.mxlpartners.com, a Silicon Valley based sales training and consulting firm, and author of the popular new book 42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness, available on Amazon.com.
“42 gems that any entrepreneur can use to build the company of their dreams.”
“I was able to easily apply these ideas to my existing sales process and significantly improve it”
Rule #3 – It’s Not About Your Product
For many reps today, the strong tendency is to speak about their products too much and too soon.
In our selling jobs, the products we sell are great, cool, fun, helpful, worthy, comprehensive, leading-edge, powerful and awesome. We spend many hours getting trained on them, learning their features and benefits and becoming an expert on the technology. It’s very easy to become singularly focused on products and the value we believe they bring to prospects.
This is a mistake. I can assure you that to be effective in sales, it’s absolutely not about your products. You might be saying, “But my product really is helpful for businesses and streamlines operations while cutting costs and it comes in blue.” This all may be true, but it’s really beside the point. This is one of the toughest lessons for us salespeople to learn.
Certainly we need to know and understand our products and services, as well as articulate the benefits and value they bring to our prospects and customers. But we also know that our customers have other concerns that are either on the surface, hidden or even unknown. While our products may help, rescue and fix issues, they are only props within a scene in a bigger play.
Until we recognize that, we will consistently fall into a trap of focusing our conversations too much on our great products and services, to the detriment of fully providing problem-solving solutions to our customers.
Indeed, for many reps today, the strong tendency is to speak about their products too much and too soon. Jerry, one of the better producing reps on an enterprise sales team, was technically adept and knowledgeable. He prided himself in quickly closing business and moving on to new opportunities. His numbers bore this out. He was one of the top reps in transaction quantity, if not in average deal size.
In listening and following Jerry on sales calls, it was clear that Jerry knew his products well and got to them as subject matter quickly in his sales calls and conversations. The customers didn’t mind because the product was one that when demonstrated rated a high “wow factor” - that is it quickly impressed and interested customers.
Jerry was also adept at following up with price quotes and moving the deal to closure. This is all well and good except when one considers the opportunity lost in his hurry to close business and move on.
“Only read this book if you want to win a whole lot more sales with a whole lot less effort”
Jill Konrath, author of
“Selling to Big Companies”
