Sales

In this lesson, we’ll discuss the importance of adding value to your business and how to do it like a seasoned pro.

A valuable perspective

As a sales person, I’m sure you’re aware that unless you create value for your customers, you won’t get anywhere in this business. There’s a lot of competition on the market. Add to it that customers aren’t really interested in new products; customers want solutions to their problems. This is where the concept of adding value comes in. 

A good sales rep presents his or her product in a way that it is the solution the customer is looking for. That’s what I mean by adding value. There are a lot of similar products out there with a bunch of exclusive features. But if you add value to your product, you’re separating it from the rest of the competition. The customer begins to see your product under a different light.

The good news is that adding value isn’t some rare talent that comes around once every other generation. It’s simply a set of skills—three sets of skills, in fact—that anyone can learn by the time we’re done with this lesson.

They are…

1. Asking questions

Asking a question helps maintain the flow of conversation. Asking a good question shows you’ve been listening intently to the other person. It helps build trust, and is one of the most important tools of a sales rep. The ability to ask a good question is to a sales rep as vocabulary is to a writer.

How to get better at this? Here are some tips:

Plan ahead. You must be extremely talented if you could very good questions without preparing them beforehand. I suggest you narrow down the focus of the sales call to two or three areas, and then prepare some questions and write them down in your notepad before the actual event.

Explore the client’s issues. I mentioned earlier that customers are only looking for solutions to their problems. As a sales rep, if you understand the customer to the point that you could identify their problems before they even begin to talk about it, then you are in the unique position to be able to ask effective questions, the kind that tells them you’re aware of their needs and knows the solution to their problems.

The general rule is, know your customer so you can prepare questions that would create an impact and push your business relationship forward.

2. Listening

Listening goes hand-in-hand with asking questions. You can’t formulate good questions if you don’t listen to your client’s problems and needs. Once again the ability to listen isn’t a talent. It’s a skill, and you can learn it. It’s called good listening skill for a reason.

How to get better at this? Here are some tips:

Listen, really listen. If you want to learn to play the guitar, practice the guitar. If you want to be able to listen well, practice listening. It’s that simple. Sherlock Holmes once said, “There’s a big difference between seeing and noticing.” Same goes for listening. Hearing something the other person said doesn’t mean anything. It’s when you listen to him or her and take in the message to heart, that’s when you start to become a true salesman.

Focus on the message. Some people tend to zone in and out of conversation when the other person is speaking. Sales reps are people, too. Some of them have this tendency. But if you want to become successful in this line of work, you need to get rid of this habit and replace it with something else—the habit of taking down notes while the customer is talking about his or her problems.

By doing this, you make room for yourself to analyze the problem and present a solution later on, which is no more and no less the act of adding value to your product. This is exactly the kind of sales approach I’m trying to advocate.

3. Establishing trust

The last part is establishing trust and credibility in the relationship. It takes time to put these things to work, and you need to master the two skills I mentioned earlier—listening and asking good questions—before you even get a shot at this one. But once achieved, great success should follow. Soon.

How to get better at this? Here are some tips:

Back up what you say. When you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you can’t do it, or won’t do it, then don’t promise it. Period. There’s no way you’re going to be able to gain a customer’s trust if you can’t back up your sweet words.

Be on time. Imagine your client as a first date. When you tell her that you’re going to pick her up at seven o’ clock, make sure you show up on her doorstep at seven o’ clock. Same goes for setting to meet up with a client. Set the time and date when you plan a call, and stick to it. Nothing turns off a client more than a sales rep who doesn’t show respect for another person’s time.

If you don’t want to end up becoming a commodity, stop selling products like they’re single-serving commodities. Use it one time, then dispose. Add value to your products to make them unique and distinct from the rest of the competition. That’s the way to go about your job as a sales representative, that’s the only way to go about this business.

When you add value to your product, you add value to your business.

Post a comment and tell me what values do you instill in your sales business.

It struck me as an interesting concept, especially when applied to sales. Is this the reason why some salespeople are having such a hard time? Because all they do is talk and talk and talk and, without knowing it, refuse to listen to what their clients have to say? Should sales reps be asking intelligent questions rather than knowing all the answers?

In this lesson, we’ll discuss the secret art of asking questions as a way to build customer trust. But the real good news is no one needs to be dying for you to be able to do it.

1. The Internet is a friend

As a modern day sales person, here’s one thing you should know: the Internet has changed the landscape with which sales representatives do business.

Back then sales reps spent a considerable amount of time asking questions about basic client information during a sales call. It makes sense. You can’t expect to establish a solid relationship without understanding the customer’s business context and a few basic details about them, and this is where the Internet comes in. Nowadays salespeople could use the Internet to find or gather basic information about their customers. At the same time customers expect salespeople to add more value to their services, too, and you simply can’t do that if you’re off gathering “basic background information” all the time.

Sales calls are always under a time limit. Don’t squander your “time budget” with the customer when the Internet is there to help you with data gathering.

2. Put weight into your questions

According to the books, there are different types of questions available at the sales rep disposal, each type being designed to elicit a different response and have a different effect on the customer. It all sounds too scientific, and it is.

Knowing the various theories and reasoning behind different types of questions is useful. But take note this is only one part of the story. When it comes down to the actual job, no amount of textbook knowledge could replace the value of asking good questions, questions with substance. This is what separates top performers from average salespeople. Top salesmen and women “know what they are talking about”.

The trick is to emphasize what they call “business substance” in your questions. If a question doesn’t contribute to your goals as a salesperson, don’t speak it. Ask questions that push your business relations forward. Otherwise you’re simply doing a good job of asking questions about the wrong things.

3. The one-size-fits-all misconception

Here’s another thing that defines a seasoned sales rep from an amateur one – the senior sales rep doesn’t see people as generic customers.

There’s no such thing as a “generic customer.” Everyone is different. People are born unique. Simply put, you won’t get anywhere if you’re planning to ask the same questions over and over again without paying attention first to your clients’ needs.

The probing model and the different types of questions is nothing more than a guide for college students. In the real world, they serve very little purpose except to remind you how vastly different the playing field becomes once you’re wearing the tie and shoes of a professional salesperson.

The secret is to identify the needs of your client, and then ask questions that target those needs and push your business relations to new grounds. I know this is a lesson about asking questions, but a good salesperson listens first and asks questions later. 

It’s a tough time for companies trying to find something to hold on to in today’s market, and the same is true for sale representatives. The challenge is to stay strong and adamant during these hard times, and mastering the art of asking significant questions goes a long way into helping the company and its group of salespeople overcome that challenge.

Some folks are born to do it. Some people have to work before they become proficient at asking good questions. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you have the heart to learn how to do it, and do it like a pro to cope with today’s sales environment.

Post a comment and tell me your insights about how important to learn the art of asking good questions.