Do you see what your cusotmers see?

Have you ever caught a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and wondered, "Do I really look like that?" Maybe you saw a photo of yourself and thought the same thing. Unfortunately, mirrors and pictures don't lie.

What if you could see yourself in the middle of a sales call? Would you see yourself with two ears and one mouth? Or the other way around? Do you talk too much? Do you interrupt? Do you ask enough questions? Perhaps you unknowingly rely on assumptions. Would you sound just like the salesperson who represents your competitor? Do you work to discover how your products and services help your customers? When you watch yourself give your fantastic pitch, do you see the customer thinking, "So what?"Would you be delighted if you could see yourself in an actual selling situation? If not, make changes!

Would you be delighted if you could see yourself in an actual selling situation? If not, make changes!

Ask Questions! Challenge your assumptions. Before you speak with a prospect or customer, plan five open-ended questions that go beyond the ones you usually ask.

Silence is golden! When you ask your customers questions, allow them time to think if they don't answer immediately. Wait until your customer finishes speaking before you respond. Do you tend to say, "mm hmm", or "uh huh", when someone is talking to let them know you are listening? We call this chirping. When done sparingly, people know you are paying attention. However, doing it too much is distracting. Avoid chirping when someone is speaking. You learn more from your prospects and customers by maintaining eye contact and listening quietly.

What do you do to set yourself apart from your competition? How are you different? What value do you bring? Know this. Be able to explain your value concisely.

Embrace that you are there to help your prospects and customers. Ask questions to determine what is of value to your customer. Salespeople must understand the benefits and value they provide.

Paint compelling word pictures. Practice using words, concise stories, and questions to connect emotionally with your prospects and customers. Help your customers visualize benefiting from your products and services. Help your customers quantify the value of your benefits.

Go a step further and attend a Sales Concepts program. We design our programs to help you see yourself in various selling situations. We customize our courses for every individual. Attendees sell their services and products away from the group in one-on-one situations and receive powerful feedback regarding their performance.