Show prospects what they are missing. Are their current suppliers coming up short? Show them how your program provides value by reducing costs or increasing productivity or increasing revenue. Those three hot buttons turn every buyer’s ears to active listening.
Pay attention to past buying history. Many customers wait until it’s too late to shop around when purchasing items on a regular basis. Send out a card, email or pick up the phone to remind them it’s been several weeks since their last order. They will appreciate you taking the time to help them succeed.
Sense of humor. Life is too short to be serious all the time. When discussing business opportunities, blend in some humor and use trial closing questions throughout the sales process.
Choose to have a positive attitude. If you are about to get out of bed and you are anything less than positive and enthusiastic, go back to sleep. Buyers do not need any more negativity in their life. Remember, enthusiasm is contagious.
Help the customer succeed. Place yourself behind their desk and understand their goals and objectives. Offer ideas and suggest opportunities to improve their results.
Meticulous preparation on your client’s company, their products, their customers, and their competition will give you the edge. The buyer will be impressed with your research. Watch for buying signals, use trial closing questions and close the sale.
Back in the day, coaching youth soccer, “Shoot. Shoot. Shoot the ball,” was all the parents on the other side of the field heard me scream. We sat the team down at halftime, showed them the shot-matrix detailing who shot at net. They understood if no one shot at net, we scored zero goals. They knew our shot-to-goal ratio was six to one.
What’s your shot-to-goal ratio?
Set your objectives, hustle, give your professional best and heat up your sales.
