Don't be an infomercial
Since this is my first attempt in 'writing' I want to clarify a couple of things.
It is a lot more difficult than I thought it was and I have a whole new level of respect for people that produce great content. My intention is to share some of my experiences as a sales professional and the conclusions that I have gathered thus far.
I hope you will find this useful besides the crudeness of my text.
So, disclaimers are done, let's begin.
The title is '' Don't be an infomercial'' so let's start by stating what that is: ''An infomercial is a form of advertisement which is aimed at educating the customer about a product or a series of products via television in the form of a program. Infomercial typically lasts longer than a regular advertisement and thus is more detailed'' according to the economic times.
While infomercials were a nice concept for the time that they were introduced, we - as sales professionals - should always look to interact with our customers and aspire to be a lot more than a product add.
Let me paint a picture for you:
- You start your meeting
- You present your proposition, maybe ask a few questions
- Then continue talking about features, clarifying and giving examples
- Then the 45-60 mins are over, you have little to no information about your customer, no next steps, no time estimate.
It happened to all of us at some point and in this scenario the sales person acts like an infomercial. Brought in to inform about features and functions of the product, explain more than is visible on the company's website. However very minimal interaction between the salesperson and the customer takes place.
There are several problems with the above scenario. The most apparent one is that a meeting like this is very unlikely to result in a collaboration. However that is not the most problematic aspect of it.
Even worse is the fact that no actual value was offered by either side. The sales rep left knowing little to nothing about the buyer's actual needs or aspirations. As for the buyer, he invested a good hour out of his day to get an enhanced version of the information he could already get by browsing the web.
But it does not end there. There is another thing that bothers me even more, working in Sales for the past 13 years. It is the fact that the sales rep is reduced to an interactive version of a feature sheet. It takes away the main component that makes working in sales so fun: honest communication and problem solving.
Summarising:
- Respect the time invested both by yourself and by your contacts
- Honestly try to understand your counterparts
- Listen a lot more than you speak
- Respect yourself and your work. You are there to solve problems and add value, not as an extension of your company's marketing effort.
Graphic Designer
5 年Dear brother please Help Me I Am Jobless I Am poor
Corporate Punk & Creative Nerd - Keynote Speaker & Content Marketer - Better Questions = Better Answers
5 年Great points here George!? If your sales pitch could have been an email or, as you put it, a feature sheet, it probably wasn't worth anyone's time in reality.
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6 年Good read. My addition is that a sales rebellion is needed. My reasoning? Because everything you’re talking about is the norm in sales, not a lot of people see the need to change that. From a leadership prospective, the folks up top are happy to have you as an infomercial. Most believe that sales is about the product and the company you’re representing. It’s time that we took the sales process back for the betterment of our communities, our buyers, and ourselves. It’s time we start giving the prospect an experience they will never forget, one they will be grateful for and see true value in. It’s freakin’ time!!