Everyone I’ve spoken with recently is doing something to adapt to the fluctuating economy. Some are cutting hours, some eliminating promotional expenses, some laying off or not hiring workers, and some are actually increasing their sales. Yes, I said “increasing sales”.
The problem with most people’s response to a challenge is that it’s the same as most salespeople’s response to objections. It doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t work. Here is what research has proven that most salespeople do in the face of resistance:
- Talk More, Listen Less
- Speak Faster
- Focus on Features instead of Benefits the Customer will Get
- Become More Nervous and Less Confident
All of this just because someone is resisting your offer?
Well, as Dr. Phil McGraw is fond of asking, “How’s that working for ya’?”
You see, when we direct our attention & energies into ourselves we increase the separation between us and our customers. We need to reverse this process and Listen More, Speak Slower & More Clearly, Discuss the Benefits of Buying from Us, and Keep Our Confidence.
Now apply this to the organization itself: instead of starting our response with a reduction of efforts, workforce, outreach and promotion, we actually need to INCREASE some of these.
The #1 best response to a challenge is to INCREASE SALES EFFORTS. Do everything you and every one of your people can to reach out to more customers, prospects and existing buyers. Listen to them, find out what they want and need, seek their input and show them that you care. Give them more reasons to stay connected with you. Show them the benefits they are already getting and look for ways to UPSERVE them.
MEASURE the number of minutes each day that each person is investing in direct contact with potential buyers. Things that are measured tend to improve. Track the sales time in everyone’s day.
#2 is to REDUCE WASTED EFFORTS. Stop the use of prime selling time for anything other than contacting prospective customers or clients. Use the best times of the day to reach out, not to do paperwork, email management, research or any support activities. Save those for the end of the day or the offline hours. Stop doing what doesn’t pay off and stop it completely for now.
#3 is to INCREASE COURAGE. What challenged people need is HOPE and DIRECTION. Show them what to focus on, explain how it works, give them the support they need, and celebrate their successes. Courage comes from faith. If you don’t have faith in the product, your company or the support process after someone buys then you tend to show your doubts as you sell. That discourages both you and your prospective buyers. Give everyone on your team the information and support they need in order to believe in what you can do for your buyers. Focus on helping.
#4 is SERVE. Don’t make calls in an attempt to “sell”, make them in an attempt to HELP. Look for people who can benefit from doing business with you and go help them. Your helping spirit will be noticed and appreciated. You’ll get less sales resistance and more openness from each person.
_____________________________________________________________________
Jim Cathcart is the author of and leading business speaker on Sales, Intelligent Motivation and Customer Loyalty. As the author of 14 books including the bestsellers The Acorn Principle and Relationship Selling, Jim Cathcart has influenced a generation of sales and service professionals. You can find this article and others on Jim Cathcart’s blog.