Monday, November 1, 2010

21 Attributes of Extraordinarily Effective Salespeople (Attributes 8-14)

I hope you enjoyed the first seven of the 21 Attributes of Extraordinarily Effective Salespeople I shared last week. Here are the next seven. Next week I’ll share the final seven along with a simple way to make all 21 of these attributes a natural part of how you and your sales team consistently get the sales you pursue.

Attributes 8-14: Extraordinarily effective salespeople…

8. Talk about money with ease
If discussing the financial side of the deal makes you uneasy, it will make your prospect uneasy. Offer outstanding value. Always know you’re giving your prospect a superior deal.

9. Never have to “close” a sale
If getting the sale means putting your prospect through a pre-determined closing routine, do him and yourself a favor and find a different career. True salespeople naturally move to a mutually beneficial conclusion.

10. Use systems
If every prospecting campaign, every phone call, every meeting, and every contact record require that you pause to figure out what to do (or what to do next), you’ll never be everything you can be as a salesperson. Create and use systems to maximize your effectiveness.

11. Only work with decision-makers
You’ve either already learned this one, will learn it soon, or will change careers. Wasting your time with non-decision-makers becomes laborious and terribly distracting very quickly. Find out who has the authority to make a purchasing decision, then only work with that person.

12. See themselves as successful
To a large extent, other people see you the way you see yourself. If you look in the mirror and you see someone who can’t bring home the bacon, your prospects will see that same person. See it...believe it...be it!

13. Are seen as experts, not salespeople
Everyone dislikes salespeople. That may come off strong, but it's true. At the same time, they love people who have solutions to their needs. Be seen as an expert and watch your sales soar.

14. Don’t let a client buy more or less than they need
A typical salesperson is happy to just make a sale, regardless of the fit for the client. An extraordinary salesperson won’t let his client go without anything he needs, and will never allow his client to overspend, even if he’s willing to.

Here’s to your extraordinary sales success!

Bryan Waldon Pope

2 comments:

  1. #14 really got my attention
    We were working with a contractor who had a client that had decieded to put clear glass in their transoms. We had seen that treatment and knew it would look plain and ordinary. When we pointed out that they could just pay $30 more for seedy glass, they choose the more elegant upgrade. We really did them a favor because we knew how plain the original choice would have been.

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  2. Good call, David! You're a natural-born salesman. I see elements of all seven of these attributes in your story:

    #8: You saw value in the upgrade and didn't hesitate to point out the relative insignificance of the few extra dollars.

    #9: There was no uncomfortable "close." You did what was best for the client and they saw your knowledge and sincerity.

    #10: This one may not be as obvious, but I picked up on the fact you were working with this client through a contractor--a party that can bring you ongoing business. That's part of a system.

    #11: You shared your insights with the party who could say "yes" to what you had to offer. No second-hand sales pitches.

    #12: Clearly you are knowledgeable and successful. This shows in how you looked out for the best interest of the client and only wanted to put your name on something that was everything it could be.

    #13: This ties into some things I've already pointed out. You know your business. You helped a client get a better outcome. You're an expert, not a salesman (at least not in the traditionally perceived sense).

    #14: You already hit on this one.

    It's exciting to see people who really get it when it comes to building a client-centered business. Keep it up, David!

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