By Greg Winteregg, CEO
What is selling?
There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what selling actually is. Is it all about the ‘close’? Is it all about the commission or the quota? Is it about who gets the best deal? I recently had one hundred people on Clearwater Beach surveyed as to how they felt about their experiences when being sold. Some of the survey results weren’t anything you’d want to write home to Mom about.
When asked what they didn’t like about being sold:
30% said the sales rep was “rude and had a bad attitude.”
36% said the sales rep was “too pushy and harassing.”
14% said the sales rep was “dishonest and lying.”
When asked what they liked about their sales experience:
24% wanted a rep that is “nice.”
20% said they wanted a rep that “helped” them.
19% said they wanted a rep that had “good product knowledge.”
The answers to one question was particularly interesting: “In your sales experience what do you consider or think is infinitely valuable?”
19% said “nice or friendly.”
19% said “good communicator” and “easy to talk to.”
19% said “product knowledge.”
6% said “getting a good deal.”
Wait a minute! I thought it was always about the money!! Everybody wants a good deal!!!
Well maybe not!
So here’s what we found out. People don’t like pushy, rude sales reps who don’t know anything about their product and don’t care about the customer. We also found out that they believe that having a sales rep that cares about them, tries to help them, communicates with them and understands the product is about ten times more important than getting a great deal.
So what is selling, anyway?
It’s actually helping the customer get what they want and need. Now, this definitely doesn’t mean that “the customer is always right.” Take a look at it. They just said that they want a sales rep with product knowledge that will be nice to them and help them. Did it ever cross your mind that if they had it all figured out that they would just buy it online?
They are usually walking up to a sales rep because they need help. So why not do them a favor and help them?!
That’s what I believe, and that’s what I teach a Matterhorn Business Development. A sales rep’s job is to help the customer. If customers are misinformed, they want to be educated and helped; not just sold something that will give them trouble after they get home. The rep just ‘did what the customer wanted.’
So the key is to ask lots of questions, find out what the customer is looking for, answer their questions and change their mind with product knowledge and HELP THEM. If you do that, they’ll love you, return for more product and services and refer their friends and relatives.
Bottom Line
Looking at them as an opponent, a commission check or someone to help you make a quota will just keep getting them to talk badly about you the next time they go to Clearwater Beach.
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