Over the years I’ve been on the receiving end of all sorts of advice when it comes to selling.
Wanted and unwanted.
About what works and what doesn’t work.
From sales managers when I was a new recruit.
From training course instructors.
And from all the books I read.
But the cold hard truth is nothing beats trial and error.
First-hand I learned as hard as it is to master the art of sales …
It’s your attitude and your behaviour that drives your results.
To this day there is still so much bullsh*t and bad advice floating around about the best way to sell.
Here’s a few fairy tales about sales too many entrepreneurs believe.
Fairy Tale#1: Get friendly first!
Uh-uh.
You are there to help your customer solve a problem or create an opportunity.
You’re not there to be besties right off the bat.
Most business people are wary of a stranger being too pally too quickly.
It’s tacky.
Friendship will develop over time, hopefully.
Your prospect wants professionalism.
Be friendly in your approach.
Exchange pleasantries.
But be brief.
Get down to business.
Fairy Tale #2: Fake it ’til you make it
You may think you have a terrific poker face.
But clients will see through right you.
They are so good at being able to suss out when another person is not being genuine.
Their number one priority is for their vendors and suppliers to be open and honest in their dealings with them.
If you put on airs and graces and pretend to be something you are not, you will blow your cover.
Faking competencies is a definite no-no.
That piece of advice went straight out the window very early on in my sales career.
Fairy Tale #3: Aways be closing (ABC)
There is no doubt that customers hate pushy sellers.
They expect you to have their best interests at heart.
To help them make a buying decision that’s right for them.
Even if that means buying from a different vendor.
Or, in some cases, not at all.
Fairy Tale #4: Never take NO for an answer
Sometimes customers say NO because they don’t trust you.
They might not understand what you are talking about.
Perhaps you are using jargon or too many technical terms.
It could be that they are reluctant to change.
And they want you to help them understand why they might reconsider.
But if you ignore that NO …
If you don’t dig deep enough to find out the underlying reason …
If you just keep on pushing and selling …
You can bet you will turn that MAYBE into a definite NO!
Fairy Tale #5: Sell the sizzle not the sausage
The meaning of this is that you should highlight all the sexy features of what you’re selling, not the product itself.
After all, a sausage sizzling on the barbecue smells delicious, so appetising.
It’s much more appealing than the product itself.
Which is minced up dead pig squeezed into an intestine casing.
However, in reality, customers don’t want the sizzle or the sausage.
They actually want the benefits.
They want to know what the sausage tastes like and its nutritional value.
Fairy Tale #6: The customer is always right
The customer is always right … right?
Not necessarily.
Today, thanks to social media, we live in a world where the customer may not always be right in your view.
But they can use social media as a weapon against you.
When a customer is wrong …
It’s best to let the customer know they are wrong.
But do it with integrity.
Show you care about their concern, not about whether it is valid.
And, if possible, try to reach a mutually satisfactory outcome.
After all, the success of your business depends on the happiness of your customers.
If you found this article interesting, here’s another you might like to check out: TALK LESS AND CLOSE MORE SALES