If you want to close more sales, you better first address these eight reasons why your client doesn’t care:
1. Why should they care about you when you don’t care about them?
A salesperson job is to convey a story that will enrich their client’s story- if you just don’t care it will show. Faking it will only make it worse and evoke feelings of mistrust during any future transactions (if they come back at all). Successful salespeople care about their clients.
2. What you competitor is selling is the same as you
If you can’t come up with at least five reasons why you are different to the competitor than why would a client buy from you over them?
3. The way you present yourself is off-putting
Professional appearance, body odour, manners- keep them all in check. It doesn’t matter what you are selling if the way you’re presenting yourself to clients is off-putting; you are not instilling confidence or building trust. Combing your hair, standing up straight and removing any spinach from your teeth goes a long way.
4. Your attention is divided
You make all the appropriate noises during a sales call or meeting (yes…mmhmmm…I understand fully) while you are simultaneously thinking about your pitch, typing up an email or thinking about something else entirely.
You may think multitasking is the most productive tactic, but you’ll find that you have missed out on the subtle prompts from your client. Anything from a slight change of tone in their voice or behaviour to a smile turning into a frown (you don’t want to miss that), if you’re only giving them half the attention, you’re client will feel half as important. Always devote your full attention to your client, not only is it meaningful but it always communicates to the client that they are your top priority.
5. The salesperson doesn’t know when to close
They just turn up and completely throw the sales process out the window, leaving behind the mark of a salesperson that simply doesn’t have a plan. Don’t allow the salesperson just to show up and throw up- this is not part of a winning execution.
6. There is nothing that you have shared with the client that he/she couldn’t (or already did) find on the internet
If you have nothing else to give beyond the facts on the web, then the client will suddenly find they are not interested. People nowadays are far more intelligent and in the know then businesses give them credit for (or want to admit). Don’t undermine the entire operation. In the same breath, don’t get caught out not knowing something about your product/service that is very clearly plastered all over the internet for all to see.
7. You lack any credibility
I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, the moment anything comes out of your mouth that doesn’t sound credible, you have lost them. In fact, people pay big money for trust, it’s quantifiable, as I discussed in my blog on trust. Don’t expect to get a leg up on anyone if you can’t even hold your own head up high.
8. It is all too much for the client
There is being attentive, and then there is just being pushy. If your client is already teetering on their decision, the worst thing you can do is push them too hard the wrong way. Overloading them with additional information probably won’t help the decision either.
Remember this:
“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Originally published on LinkedIn
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