If You were Given a Machine Gun with Free Pass to Shoot People, How Many Salespersons would You Kill?

This morning I received a happy-new-message from one of my connections for which I promptly replied conveying my appreciation and sincere wishes. Within seconds from firing the reply I received a rather long message from the same sender. This message was a sales message offering web building and app development services. I thought to myself about the odds of me or any other receiver of the same message positively reacting to that message. How many of you would stop and say: ohh, yes, as a matter of fact I needed someone to develop my website and I should respond to this message requesting a quotation? 

I guess the rationale of salespeople for sending untargeted mass messages is that it could be a number game. The more you send the more likely you sell. Unfortunately, it is not only a poor strategy that encourages people to avoid and not let you in the next time but it also blinds you from focusing on your real customers who are probably being currently served by your competitors while you are shooting at random. 

Your real customers are those who are instantly in need for your service. Focus on locating them instead of trying to sell to every moving soul. Some could argue that a good salesperson is the one who could sell ice to Eskimos or like Danny Devito in the movie “Deck the Halls”. You could get away with this kind of selling once but eventually people will realize that you had them and will be careful next time. A good salesperson, better known as a Rainmaker, is the one who sells to many people over the long run. If you manage to keep your buyers happy and retain them by keeping them loyal you are in.

I absolutely have nothing against salespeople as I consider myself one. I am just not happy with the amount of mistakes made equally by novice and experienced salespeople. Unfortunately, instead of taking some time to reflect and evaluate their performance they keep doing the same mistakes time and again. The only improvement they project in their performance is that they become better at making the same mistakes day after day. On the other hand, I see a bunch of successful and bright salespeople that should be copied by the rest.

Below are some golden rules on how to become a Rainmaker:

1.      Learn to be human

If you perceive people as objects you could use to meet your sales targets or make commissions they will in turn perceive you as an annoying salesperson they should avoid. Learn basic human etiquettes before attempting to aggressively pursue your target.

2.      Search at the right place

At any given moment there are more buyers to your products and service than you could imagine. Learn advanced search techniques using the right platforms. Never bark at the wrong tree or offer your product to someone who does not seem interested. Make yourself easy to find whenever someone is in need of your service. A crash course in SEO should come in handy.

3.      Never throw a sales pitch

You heard it right. No sales pitch anymore which means you do not have to tell people that you are selling anything. Talk to your potential customers about anything and avoid presenting them anything to buy. Wait for them to ask you what you do and then tell them about your stuff. Even if you are responding to an ad posted by the customer who is interested in your service wait for the right time.

4.      Shut up and just listen

Historically, salespersons are known to be more talkative than barbers and beauticians. They would never allow their customers to talk. In fact, they are never interested in what the customer has to say. They just have a sales script that has to be read out. Learn to listen and your customers would tell you exactly what they need. Let your customer do 90% of the talk and you just listen tentatively. The best salespeople are known for their ability to listen even if they are tempted to speak.

5.      Never look, sound or smell desperate

If you are looking for charity then go ahead and beg your buyers to buy to help save your job and feed your family. The success of this method is highly questionable unless you are selling office supplies or cheap items. The problem in sounding desperate is not that people are so mean and they would not help the needy. The issue is that people interpret any act of desperation by a salesperson as being sneaky.

6.      Be a master communicator

Strive to improve your communication skills every day. Learn pubic speaking, technical writing, body language and even handwriting analysis if you have to. Seek to understand nonverbal communication and control your reaction to any situation be it good or bad. 

7.      Learn

I could recommend a few excellent books and paid programs to consider to become a Rainmaker. One book in particular that personally helped me is called “Go-Giver Sell More” by Bob Burg and John David Mann. You can also read my book “The LinkedIn Rainmaker” to learn how to conduct business and sell on LinkedIn.

8.      Join my newsletter

I am developing a system to help aspiring entrepreneurs and sales professionals understand the dynamics of successful selling online as well as offline. I would like to share with you some of ideas and findings based on my personal experience as well as my interaction with some top guns and Rainmakers. If you are serious about learning please subscribe here to receive my weekly special insight.