Quit kidding yourself — even your mother wouldn’t buy from you.
Yes, that’s harsh. I know. But let’s get real — if you’re going to show up and make a sales call that is nothing more than a data dump, would you expect your own mother to buy?
Salespeople call me all the time complaining about how they’re not able to close the sales they used to get all the time. They go off on a tangent complaining about how good they used to be and something has happened.
It’s simple. It’s not that they changed, it’s that their customers have changed.
For many salespeople, the days of the easy sales are history. Truth be told, it’s not that they ever had a sales presentation that worked — it’s just they had customers who wanted to buy.
When was the last time you analyzed your selling skills?
How do you know you’re really uncovering the needs of the customer? Do you even realize how much you’re talking and how few questions you’re asking the customer? No wonder your customers and even your mother won’t buy from you.
The sales presentation techniques you’re using today need to be dramatically different than the ones you were using a couple of years ago. In fact, they need to be different than the ones you were using even 6 to 9 months ago. If you’re not continually analyzing your selling skills, you are running the risk of becoming outdated. When this happens, even your mother will stop buying from you.
Below is a quick checklist you can use to assess your presentation skills:
How much of the time are you talking vs. listening to your customer?
Is your customer asking you questions?
Does the customer respond to your questions with more than a one-word or short response?
Do you ask follow-up questions on everything the customer shares with you?
How many different closing techniques do you know how to use confidently?
Do your customers follow-up with you on requests you make of them?
Does your customer engage you in strategic questions?
Do you learn something new about your customer each time you meet with them?
Do you take the time to teach the customer something each time you meet with them?
This list is by no means complete, but it’s enough to get you thinking about your presentation skills and ways you might improve them.
This type of analysis on a regular basis will improve your likelihood of success with each prospect.
You probably would even be able to sell to your mother.
Copyright 2011, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
