Want to Be a Top Sales Person? It's All in the Attitude
Rene Zamora, developer of the Service-Minded Selling™ approach, sat down with us to discuss what the best sales people are doing and how attitude and approach to sales activity can dramatically affect results.
Wheelhouse Editor (WH): Thanks for talking with use, Rene. If you think about the most successful sales people you know, particularly those selling business products to customers who come to them via the Internet, what qualities or habits do you think they have that makes them successful?
Rene Zamora (RZ): Believe it or not, one of the best qualities, or attitudes, is for the sales person to accept the fact that their sales prospects wants to buy and would love to buy from them. Buyers in any scenario – submitting a lead online, walking into a store, calling in directly - have raised their hand and said, “I want to buy.” And it’s human nature to want to have their purchase be easy. The sales person who comes alongside the customer, works at their pace, does not put unnecessary obstacles in their way, and says less and listens more wins more business.
WH: What basic practices do you think most sales people fail at when working with Internet leads?
RZ: Slow to follow up is a big one and pre-judging the lead. The best sales people value every contact and understand that whether they buy or not, this person can lead them to their next sale. People make buying decisions not only based on how good a product or service is, but how well they are handled throughout the sales process. The sales person who cares about their prospect and does their job well will win referrals, even if that first person doesn’t buy from them.
WH: How often do you recommend that sales people contact their Internet leads in the first month, including phone, email, sending materials, follow up, etc.?
RZ: What’s more important is “how” they contact the leads than how often. Of course, the first contact is to set up the meeting with the prospect, but if that doesn’t work for you, you must bring more value than a self-serving “I want an appointment” attitude.
If you are not getting a call back, it could be for a number of reasons, but unless you know for sure why they’re not responding, assume their priorities have shifted. In this case, be especially sensitive to their business needs and give them information that is relevant to their inquiry and the decision they need to make. Do some research on the company and always make your communications relevant. For example, you could say,
"Jim, I read about the big contract you guys landed at XYZ Company. Congratulations. I imagine people are feeling pretty good about it. I’m sure this has tossed a few more items on your plate and might have shifted your priorities around. I have attached a case study for a company that is similar in size to yours that realized a 20% reduction in department costs after implementation. Let me know when a good time would be for us to meet. You can email or call my cell at (123) 456-7890.”
I have more specifics on good follow-up strategies in my blog posts on my website, which your readers may found valuable, including one called “Motivation Through Follow-Up” and another one called “Persistent Follow-up.”
WH: Great, thanks. Now, as far as tracking and measuring performance in the sales process, what metrics should sales people track when working with Internet leads, for example: attempts to contact, phone calls, presentations, appointments, close rates, etc.?
RZ: I recommend appointments set and met, proposals delivered, and sales made. The sales person should also monitor and provide feedback to the lead source on the consistency between the information they received about the prospect (the lead) and what they learn directly. A smart rep will work with their lead source to create a seamless handoff, so the sales prospect gets a superior experience. This will build trust between the lead provider and the sales person, which will help close more business.
WH: As a sales person, how do you figure out who else is influencing the buying decision at an organization beyond the person listed on your sales lead? For example, do you ask something like, “Are there other people who will play a role in this decision whom I should send information to?”
RZ: That’s a good question to use. Let me share a few more examples, but first it’s important to make sure you have a partnership approach - this is key fundamental to “Service-Minded Selling ™”.
What I mean by that is you arrive with the attitude of already being part of the team that will help them make a great decision. You are not the outsider trying to “outwit” them. You belong and you need certain information to do your job well, including who influences this decision.
The other thing to remember is that decisions are not always made by the one who approves the money. You need to find all the people that will influence the decision. Often the buyer is not thinking this way and they can get blindsided before they know it. Help them realize this with questions like,
“Who else (or which other department) will be impacted by a decision to make a change? I normally recommend getting them involved in the process to some extent. Also, when it gets down to your recommendation, do you have one more person or a committee who will need to put the stamp of approval on the decision?”
Or, you can say,
“How does your company make decisions? Do you have autonomous authority or will you be making a recommendation for others to provide final approval? Who are they?”
WH: Thanks for those examples and for sharing these insights with our readers, Rene.
RZ: No problem, it’s been my pleasure! I would also like to let any of your readers know they are welcome to contact me if they want more clarification on any of the answers I have provided.
Rene Zamora is the president of Sales Manager Now, an outsource sales management company. He can be reached by phone at (916)596-3713, email at rene@salesmanagernow.com, or on the Web at www.salesmanagernow.com.