Monday, September 3, 2012

Got Your Money on Your Mind?

The term "salesperson" usually gets a bad rap.  When most people hear that word, a common stereotype pops up in their minds:  a salesperson is a person who has their mind on their money and their money on their mind.

Not in trust-based selling.

Trust-based selling is two-way and a naturally collaborative interaction that allows buyers and sellers alike to develop a better understanding of the need situation and work together to generate the best response for solving the customer's needs.

A person who is not operating under trust-based selling has their mind on their money, not the relationship they are building.  It is a one-way street.  They sell first and listen second.  They pitch their product without first investing time into understanding what their customer's needs are and how they are not being met.

SCENARIO:

I want you to imagine going out to eat at a restaurant.  You walk in and take your seat.  A waiter comes up and serves you a glass of water, then leaves.  You start looking over the menu to find what you want, but the waiter never returns to ask.  After about 15 minutes or so, the waiter comes to your table and puts a meal before you.

Picture taken by Katie Johnstonbaugh (dishinanddishes.com)

Most of us would turn to the waiter immediately and say, "I didn't ask for this.  I was never asked what I wanted."  A person who is not functioning under trust-based selling is like this waiter.  They try to serve the buyer before they even figure out what the buyer's needs are, and because the buyer feels like there was no interest expressed in his or her needs, he/she turns away the offer that is placed on the table.

Trust-based selling is not about the money.  It's about developing a trust relationship with potential clients or partners.  It's about understanding a customer's needs before offering a product or a service.  It's about integrity and being genuinely interested in what your customer wants and is not currently receiving.

A person who is being driven by trust-based selling is an effective listener:
  1. They pay attention.  They listen to understand, not to reply.  They resist the urge to interrupt and receive the full message the buyer is communicating. 
  2. They monitor nonverbals.  They make effective eye contact and check to see if the buyer's body language and speech patterns match what is being said. 
  3. They paraphrase and repeat.  They confirm their correct understanding of what the buyer is saying by paraphrasing and repeating what they have heard.
  4. They make no assumptions.  They ask questions to clarify the meaning of what the buyer is communicating. 
  5. They encourage the buyer to talk.  They give positive feedback and help the buyer to stay on track by asking purposeful, related questions. 
  6. They visualize.  They maximize their attention and comprehension by thinking about and visualizing what the buyer is saying.   
A potential buyer wants to feel like you understand where they are coming from and the problems they are dealing with.  Then, after they feel understood by you, they want to know what you can do about those problems.  

And that, my friend, is where you pitch your product or service.  That is where your product or service becomes most attractive.  

Fill the need, not your pocket. 

Kayla

Sources:  Sell by Thomas Ingram (Chapter 4)


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