How Do The Best Salespeople Sell?
By leadership author and keynote speaker Ross Shafer
Why are some people great Salespeople and others aren’t? You may think you know the answer…but I think I can surprise you. If you’re in sales, you have probably been motivated to buy books and watch videos and study sales systems; which I’m sure are all very good… but I prefer to hear the real-world stories of people who don’t just write about it…but are cashing big paychecks DOING IT.
I want to tell you about a woman named Suzanne who sells products in a typically male-dominated industry…she sells oil and transmission fluids to auto dealers. And, she kills it…to the tune of about $350,000 a year! Some of you are thinking…YEAH, a woman selling to men….ahhh…shame on you. You would be wrong if you thought Suzanne was some seductive woman who wears low cut dresses. Suzanne describes herself as a gal who prefers cowboy boots over high heels…she’d rather watch Wheel of Fortune than spend time at a nail or hair salon. She would smile and tell you she should lose 30 pounds but that she loves chocolate éclairs’ too much….so deal with it.
Suzy (to her friends) is self-confident and has a reputation for taking the customers nobody wants – and making a fortune with them. Here’s what she does. Before she takes a meeting, she does her research. She tries to find people she knows who might also know the customer – so she can connect on a personal level. She knows how much the customer buys and what problems they’ve had with other vendors. She listens carefully and asks the customer a lot of questions to find out what outcomes they want. She knows her own product line inside/out and won’t sell the customer something they don’t need. She’ll even suggest a competitor if she believes it’s the right thing to do.
She’s never late and she never makes the customer feel rushed. When she walks into a sales meeting she doesn’t cower and say, “I know you’re busy so let me show you the catalog.” Instead, she takes her time, looks around the room for trophies and pictures – conversation starters – and might say, “Hey, before we get started you have to tell me what you’re doing on the business end of that Brahma Bull?” She’s naturally curious about people…not faking it to make a sale. Then, she follows up with urgency. She answers her cell phone within three rings and texts back right away. Suzanne’s sales strategy can be summed up in one word. HUMANITY.
She is confident about herself, she is genuinely interested in her customer’s hobbies and families, she learns about the customer’s problems and desires – then she makes a solution that makes everybody happy. I learned a secret from Suzanne, She says that most people LOVE to buy….they just hate to be SOLD. Look, you have everything you need to be a successful salesperson…you don’t have to overthink the process. Be who you are and be genuine about what you’re selling. Customers will write an order with you if they trust you have their best interest at heart…how simple as that?
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Ross Shafer is the author of (9) popular business books and (14) human resource training films. In a former career Ross won (6) Television Emmy awards for his work as a TV host, writer, and producer. Today, Ross is a sought after keynote speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.