Don’t sell – advise to empower

We all loath the stereotype salesperson who talks you to death, and pressures you to buy. Thankfully this type is seen less and less these days. Trying to force a deal is possibly the best way to alienate a potential buyer and ensure you don’t get a second chance to intimidate again.

Selling has changed and is more subtle and subliminal. Yet there are still companies out there instructing their sales teams on their 7 stages of specification, 5 stage buying formula, even the scripted sales pitch.

Most buyers are clued up these days on product, price and your competition so the salespeople are there to give advice, deliver the best solution, add value, build confidence and trust, and help the client achieve what they have set out to do.

It is most likely that your potential client will know more about your products and services than you know about them so do some research so you have an awareness of what is important to them which will guide you in how you present your bid or offer selection. You need to take into account the values of the client when advising on product or service choices. Doing a preliminary investigation into a business gives you an insight into their decision making and you can make your pitch relevant to their circumstances.

Remember selling is all about the client and what they want to achieve so you must find this out first before you can point them in the right direction. It is not unusual to have a client know what they want but not know how to get there. Alternatively, there are those that have done things in the same way for years and this gives you an opportunity to enlighten them with new methods, products or services.

A seller needs to question the buyer to discover as much information as possible before they can provide solutions, product or design options, etc. The art is to guide the buyer in your preferred direction by dropping hints and markers so that they reach the desired conclusion that you have surreptitiously orchestrated so that they are empowered with all the facts they need to make the decision to purchase from you. This can only be accomplished with empathy into their world, providing new ideas or options which will bring added value to the client, delivering insights that will help solve challenges in their business and demonstrating that you understand their needs.