How To Sell More By Getting Motivated Buyers to Call You First
How many sales opportunities have you lost to competitors who seemed to have the inside track? It�s likely the buyer purchased from their emotional favorite. Selling goes beyond communicating the value of your products and services. Selling is about communicating the value of doing business with you. It is about connecting with a buyer and becoming their �Emotional Favorite�. Success in sales requires three things: 1) A viable product that addresses a need 2) Credibility 3) Timing. Some in sales claim in sales timing is everything; experienced sales professionals know timing is the ONLY thing. There are a plethora of credible businesses with viable products. To be truly successful at selling you need timing - to be the first or second person a motivated buyer talks to when they need something. There are three simple ways to get timing: 1) Sheer numbers � if you contact enough prospects, you�ll eventually find motivated buyers 2) Referrals � someone tells you a motivated buyer has a need for your product or service 3) Become a buyer's �Emotional Favorite� - the motivated buyer calls you first Value Of Being First Being one of the first suppliers in front of a buyer at the time they need what you sell is key to getting the business. Once the buyer begins to shape a solution around a vendor�s product or service, they become emotionally tied to that solution. People tend to make decisions and move on to the next problem. What Is The Emotional Favorite? Think about the last time you purchased a product or service. When you picked up the phone, did you call the person who helped you in the past? The person who adds value to your business or your career every time you ask for their assistance? Chances are you did. The fact of the matter is most people do. It used to be that people bought from those they know, like, and trust. To be successful in sales today, you need to go one step further and connect with buyers to become the person buyers know, like, trust�and most importantly want to see succeed! The emotional favorite is the person a buyer calls first, regardless of what they need. Becoming The Emotional Favorite So, if being the emotional favorite means helping buyers fulfill their needs, how do you create this relationship where your buyers think of you as their one-stop resource? Start by asking questions about the buyer when you meet for the very first time and at the end of EVERY sales call. Think about the last time you encountered a �stereotypical� sales person, the one who immediately launches into a sales pitch. How did you react? After a minute or two, did your eyes glaze over? As the sales person drones on, you stop listening waiting for an opportunity to end the conversation. Ultimately, that sales person falls to the bottom of the list of people you call when you need something. Not where you want to be if you�re looking to become the Emotional Favorite. Asking The Right Questions Obviously, you�re not going to start with �Hi, I�m Craig. What�s your greatest challenge?� Start with open-ended questions: Ask about how the latest government policy changes, or shifts in technology has impacted their business. Relate their business to your other industry contacts and share some of your own insights. Then you can ask about their greatest challenges and you will likely get the answers you are looking for. Frame your questions outside your existing sales professional to buyer relationship because by default, the buyer will answer in terms of your products or services. Start with �Let�s forget about what I do for ABC Company for a minute� and ask: � What is the biggest issue you have that you just can�t get to? or, � What is the one thing you are looking for but can�t seem to find? or, � What issue have you tried to solve but can�t find a satisfactory solution to? Now shut up and listen! When the buyer stops talking, wait 6 seconds and listen to what they tell you next. First they�ll tell you about the problem. If you don�t interrupt them, they will tell you how the problem impacts them and the rest of their organization. Now you have the enough information to connect the buyer with a solution and if it�s not available through you perhaps you know a colleague who can solve the problem. What Are The Benefits Of Asking The Right Questions? � You gain a better understanding of buyers and their organization. � You will improve your relationships during a time when buyers do not need what you sell. � You will get more face time with prospects and customers. � You may learn of opportunities to sell. Most buyers don�t tell you of needs they think are unrelated to what you sell. When you ask the above questions, you will learn of additional needs that may provide you with new opportunities to differentiate yourself and sell your products or services. Craig Elias is a highly sought after advisor, speaker, trainer, and writer, on proven sales and networking strategies that help sales professionals, consultants and business owners differentiate themselves and become a buyers 'Go To' person. For almost 20 years, Craig Elias has been a top performer at every company that has hired him - including WorldCom where he was named the top sales person within six months of joining the company. Craig Elias is also the Founder and Chief Strategy officer of InnerSell, an online sales tool used by sales professionals so that no matter what their customer needs they can get it through them. InnerSell has won Tim Draper's �Billion-Dollar Idea� pitch contest, collected a million dollar prize, been featured in International Press (NBC news, Business 2.0, The New York Times, Sales & Marketing management magazine �), and was recently selected by Dow Jones as one of the 50 most promising companies in North America and by the IBD Network as one of the 40 hottest companies in Silicon Valley. Learn more by contacting Craig by phone (866.744.7904), or email (Craig.Elias@InnerSell.com), or visiting www.InnerSell.com.
