What Does Your Salesperson Sell?

If you take a careful look at sales and business development, this question is not strange. Why not? Why do you need to ask it? And, what does your salesperson sell?

Cars? Furniture? Insurance? Education? Chemical products?

Before you reply, reflect on the last deal you sat in on, or may even have been a part of. How much of the discussion time was spent on technical benefits of what your business sold? What about your sales support? Was the major part of the discussion spent around understanding your client's business and why they wanted your product or solution? Or did you speak about price? and price? and discounts? and price?

Regardless of industry or brand, many salespeople still sell price. Why does it happen? Some are pretty senior people, even executives. Why do salespeople still sell price?

Because it is easy to do so. A newly appointed salesperson does not need to apply himself (or herself) to research about the industry, if the selling was done solely on the basis of price. Also, very little interest or time needs to be invested in who the customer is, what the nature of their business is, and why that solution is required, if the product sold was price.

And, what about all the mathematical calculations? I remember speaking to a friend of mine once, when he spoke of the science of selling hand towels to companies, what the average person uses per day, per month, and why one brand may be chosen over another. Phew! All of a sudden sales seems tough.

It is tough, when the product you are selling...is not price. It requires a bit of effort, some training, but the business and the customer will thank you for it.