Most people have a favorite salesperson to do business with.
Mrs. Smith always shops for her jewelry at Tiffany’s because “I feel so special working with the jeweler, Marco. He knows my style so well, and he always pours me a glass of champagne with each new purchase!”
Mr. Smith only buys his suits at Neiman Marcus because “Ken takes great care of me; if there’s something I want they don’t have, he’ll get it tailor made for me and shipped directly to my house within a week. He knows service! And he knows suits!”
Mr. and Mrs. Smith enjoy dinner at a little, family-owned Italian restaurant on Sixth Street because “the chef knows our order by heart and still makes it even though it was taken off the menu. And they save the corner booth for us every Saturday night!”
The art of selling is easy: make it so you’d rather be the one buying than the one selling. Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes.
Many salespeople think explaining the inner-workings of the product is enough.They think adding a sheer “I use it myself… it’s the best out there” will work for the sale. In reality, most prospects will find that attempt to be just as poor as saying nothing at all.
What one prospect cares about, another doesn’t. Everyone has their own struggles to cure!
Only through placing oneself in the client’s shoes can a successful salesperson understand what will pull the trigger. It’s crucial to identify with their unique situation.
The best word to use as a salesperson is “YOU.”
"YOU will benefit from this product/service because A, B, C." Using the term “I” will do nothing. A car salesman, for example, could convincingly use the word YOU to make a smooth sale using a variety of topics:
VALUE -
“Since YOU drive to the beach everyday, this car is great for YOU because it’ll be easy to clean out the sand. YOU won’t have to stop for gas on the way there or back, either, because the mileage is so low! This car is perfect for YOUR summer outings!”
FINANCES -
“I know YOU just paid off your student loans, so YOUR car payment plan for this vehicle would be the best for YOU. The car itself is affordable, and the monthly payments are perfect for YOUR tight budget.”
COMFORT -
"Take a seat in the ‘cockpit,’ how do YOU feel? Relaxed, right? Since YOU just had back surgery, the built-in massage feature could be great for those long drives. And YOUR six-year old twins will have a great time watching Netflix on the back-seat TV’s. Just think, peace and quiet on all YOUR drives!”
It's in your hands to foster a space of superior service to create a strong base of customers that won’t go anywhere.
A successful salesman once explained why he had the best job in the world: “The salesman is the one who makes people’s dreams come true. He helps them anticipate the future, turn today’s visions into tomorrow’s realities. He helps them fulfill their desires, satisfy their yearnings. He shows them how to become happier, healthier, more prosperous and secure, loved by their families, and respected by their friends.”
Only about 50% of small businesses make it to their fifth year...
...and building a committed client base is step one against joining that dismal statistic. The majority of your sales will be (and SHOULD be) repeat customers.
It costs 7x more to get a new customer than keep an old one!
Unless you’re an energy company, people don’t need your product or service. There’s always another restaurant, another marketing company, another, another, another…
The world is saturated with smart people trying to make money through business, and there’s always another entrepreneur waiting in the shadows for you to fall.
If there’s a profit to be made, there’s competition to be had.
This, of course, is what makes democracy so wonderful: freedom of competition. With this freedom, though, comes personal responsibility - the responsibility to keep clients as happy as clams, be it through a punch card, membership program, or just good old’ fashioned service.
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Published on April 19, 2018