Are you an open minded person sales professional? Most of you reading this will say “Yes, I am open minded” without really thinking through the question. Now more than ever we live in a world that is constantly changing. Keeping an open mind with your customers, prospects and other stakeholders is critical to your ability […]
Years ago I once read that a sale doesn’t happen until there is a transfer of energy from one party to another party. I believe this to be 100 percent true. Your customer won’t buy from you unless they believe they or their company is going to benefit in some way.
Landing the first deal is just the beginning of the customer journey. Many sales professionals make the mistake of closing and immediately moving on to the next opportunity. But once you’ve got your foot in the door of a new account, why abandon your newly found customer credibility when it can be leveraged to uncover additional business there?
If you’ve had sustained success as a sales person, you can probably look back at your career and pinpoint one or two defining moments that moved you to the next level of credibility with your customers. These moments are different for everyone.
When I started in my sales career many years ago, I didn’t have the luxury of an established client base or a robust CRM package that reminded me who to call. I didn’t have a marketer funneling leads to me or setting up appointments on my behalf.
Last Saturday, I spent a few hours scouring department stores for “that just right pair of black flat shoes” needed for an upcoming networking event. On the third stop, there was a large sign reading “Buy One – Get One Half Off”. Now, I didn’t NEED two new pairs of shoes, but after finding those black flats and a pair of sandals, you would have been hard pressed convincing me otherwise.
Having worked in Sales for more than 18 years, I have learned that all sales professionals have a common need for recognition and motivation. Only about 5-20 % of sales people are, “intrinsically motivated” meaning internally driven and not seekers of recognition, whereas 80% are “extrinsically motivated” and want ongoing encouragement, praise and recognition to keep up sales.
