A few days ago I received an email from someone I don’t
know excited to share some “great news” with me. He was sure his “opportunity” to become a
member of his network marketing team was a perfect fit for me. Rather than ask
what my business interests are he made a lot of assumptions.
Within a very short period of time I knew his
opportunity was not a good fit for me or my market. I thanked him for his
offer, graciously declined and assumed that was the end of any conversation on
the topic.
I received another email a short while later from the
same man trying to convince me this was a great opportunity and I would be wise
to join in.
Once more I declined, again assuming this was the end
of our discussion.
A third message from this man put my patience to the
test. This time he came from the perspective that it was not so much about how
I would benefit from this opportunity, but rather about how much he would
benefit from my network.
Although a part of me wanted to completely ignore his
third message I responded with, “I’m not sure how to get across that I’m
not interested in what your are offering. It doesn’t fit in my business model
and I would appreciate no further conversation on this.”
He finally got it. “Finally!” I thought to
myself.
The fact is, some people are still selling based on old
school methods. I began my sales career nearly three decades ago. In the early
days I read virtually every book I could get my hands on about how to sell
persuasively. I listened to records and cassettes (yep, back then we had
records and cassettes), went to workshops and talked to others who were in
sales.
Something I read, had been taught and heard more than
once was, “If someone says no it simply means you haven’t asked the right
way for the sale.” Another common teaching was if the prospect said no
they obviously didn’t know what was good for them and the salespersons job was
to show them the error of their ways. Palllllleeeezzeeee!
Many a salesperson was taught all you had to do was ask
enough, push harder and eventually you would wear the prospect down. The fact
is, that’s the old way of selling. Rather than a happy customer you had irate
men and women wondering when you would leave and hoping never to see or hear
from you again.
The good news is there is a much better (and more
ethical way) of selling. Today, things are different. More and more men and
women sell based on a high level of integrity and consciousness. Actually, some
sales professionals have sold on a very conscious level for years.
Interestingly, they are likely the highest performers in an organization and their
industry.
The conscious way of selling is such that client
satisfaction goes way beyond simply being happy with one’s purchase. It has to
do with customer loyalty. It has to do with long-term vision, integrity,
awareness and respecting your customers.
There are some very simple steps to conscious selling.
Know who your market is and is not.
Know who wants to do business with you and who you want
to do business with.
Know what keeps your clients awake at night.
Honestly determine whether or not you offer a viable
solution for the client.
Be willing to walk away when you are not a good fit for
the client and/or they are not a good fit for you.
The beauty of conscious selling is the fear of not
having enough business is nonexistent. Rather than worrying about where the
next sale comes from you attract more than enough business based on your
authentic energy.
I’ll take conscious selling any day of the week over
old school selling.
What’s your experience with conscious selling? Comments
and insights welcome.
In this day and age of advance technology, the old school of selling need not apply. Yet, many corporation and companies still use this model. Selling in the 21st century is all about building realtionships, listening to your prospects/customers and being of service. In the long run, you have gained a customer for life than chasing down the next person just push them to close the sale which results in no, no, and even more no.
Thanks for your input Jane. Yes, most definitely about the relationships and thinking long term. It takes more to get a new client than keep a current one (who is a great fit) happy and loyal.
Amazing how many people target new business and forget about their current clients.
Kathleen –
Thanks for sharing this! I agree completely. As I was starting my business, I worked part-time in retail. I loved my job at first as we were focused more on customer service (helping the customer find what they wanted/needed) than on sales. The sales just came naturally. Then, the economy started to to stumble and the powers that be felt that sales numbers needed to increase. We were told to “go for the no” at least three times; ie: a customer had to say no to us three times before we’d stop offering them products. There was no way that I was going to be able to follow that policy! As a customer myself, that type of behavior would make me walk out of the store and never return! I’m thankful that my business is now running relatively smoothly and I don’t have to brave the retail world again.
Focusing on building relationships with your customers and prospects is a MUCH more satisfying way to make sales, especially as you never know where your next referral may come from!
Thank you for your comments (and insights) Rebekah. It is amazing what fear will do to people. When we move in fear we only see what’s in front of us and fail to remember that there is an ebb and flow to everything, absolutely everything.
What can happen is if one has a slow day they focus so much on this small piece of the equation that they attract more of the “slow days” to them.
When we have an expectancy of good, abundance and flow, it is every present in varying degrees.
Dear Kathleen,
Thanks for writing this. I have been doing telephone sales for an online retail company for a year, and am switching to business-to-business, door-to-door sales now. I have been in training for the last three weeks in this new job, and have had reservations about how to most profitably, yet most consciously approach this challenging way of making a living. It’s good to hear confirmation from someone with a real track record that you can stay in your highest integrity and still succeed as a salesperson. I appreciate you!
Good Wishes,
Stephen