Generating “Trust” with the client – simple steps

When you are entering a new account as a sales person, “Trust” is by far the most difficult thing for you to get. If the customer has already been using your company’s product or service, then there’s some amount of trust that gets bestowed on you.

Especially if your company has done a good job or the sales person before you has done a good job, then the customer is more favourable to talk with you. However the customer still has to trust “YOU”

On the other hand if the account is new to your company and you as the sales person are also involved in creating the account then it becomes all the more important that you gain trust with the prospect fast. One of the biggest things which hampers a sale is TRUST. Price, quality of the product / service etc. are all issues which come into [play after the person trusts you.

Some of the simplest things I have observed for building trust are simple old fashioned things

Keep your word – if you say you will do something by a given day or time – DO IT
Arrive before the scheduled time always – No one likes to be kept waiting and that too for a sales person – there will be times where things can go wrong inspite of all your planning – in that case inform the customer well in advance
Communicate every step of the way – even if you don’t have a solution ready for the problem – which will happen many times in your career – keep the customer informed that you have a problem and you are working to solve – the customer is also answerable to someone else and if he doesn’t have information he will get more frustrated. The customer may get angry with you for a little while but after he/she vents their anger, they will still be friends. Most of the time the people get scared of the customer and try to hide. This kind of Fear will only create problems in your long term relationships.
Don’t consider your customer as an adversary – Till you get the order, everyone is very nice to the customer. The challenge starts when they become a Customer. The customer has certain expectations and your delivery folks have their own challenges and any objection by the customer becomes a “me versus you” situation. You have to make your team understand , that in B2B situations especially, the customer has more at stake than you because of her reputation at the organisation is at stake. If you can look at it as a joint effort then it solves the problem.

None of these steps have any technology related issues, they don’t need any hi-tech software or equipment etc. These are just human habits and behaviours which you need to cultivate and slowly you will observe people will automatically gravitate towards you and start trusting you.

Till next time then.

Carpe Diem!!!

Prioritizing the top 2-3 in sales

B2B, ideal customer, Methodologies, prioritizing, Sales

The 80/20 rule works even in sales. As I have said before the best thing about this rule is that its fractal, which means there’s always an 80/20 within the 80/20 also.

So within all your customers 80% of the complaints about you or your product or your service would come from 20% of the customers. However you could go one step further and identify 4% of the customers who are actually responsible for 64% of the problems. If you eliminated these 4% your life would be much more easier.

Similarly there will be few customers who would be responsible for more than 64% of your business. You need to ensure that you are constantly doing everything possible to not only keep these customers happy but to also ensure that you are growing your business with them.

As a sales person you also need to analyze which 20% of the products get you 80% of your incentives or commissions and then analyze which 20% of your customers account for 80% of the sales of those products. That will give you a clear indication of where you have to spend your time and prioritize your day.

While you’re supposed to sell all the products that are assigned to you, by following this mechanism to prioritize your day, you will also hit your financial goals faster. The only constraint for a sales person is time. If you can focus 80%of your time on these 20% customers you would get a massive boost to your achievements.

Its always how you can leverage your time for the most productive use. After all small hinges move big doors.

Till next time then.

Carpe Diem!!!

The exciting life of a B2B salesperson

B2B, Sales

Today’s post is about the see-saw situation in the life of a sales person. I am speaking from a B2B perspective. I don’t know if this is true in consumer sales or in other professions also.

I used to be a sales person in my initial years, moved into different roles and today have responsibilities for both marketing and sales.

For over the last 30 odd years its so happened that when you start your day with some very positive news from a customer – like a customer whom you had been following up for months for an order, suddenly calling you and telling you they want to give you an order for a million dollars.

You are elated with the fact that you have been able to beat your competitors. The customer has found value in what you’re offering, they believe your company can deliver the goods and they have found you to be a genuine and resourceful person.

As you move through the day trying to close on this customer’s order and feel elated, towards the end of the day you will receive a crisis call from another customer.

This customer will then be firing you on all the things that are wrong with your product or service etc. So you end the day feeling very low. What started on a high ends on a low.

On the other hand I have also observed the reverse when the day starts with firing on all sides and ends on a happy note.

But this is what makes the life of a B2B salesperson exciting. All customers are nice. They are also people and they have problems. They call out and fire you because they have expectations that you will solve their problems. If you solve their problems they will stick to you for a long long time. You will build deep relationships, that will keep giving you business for multiple years.

Till next time then, enjoy the sales role.

Carpe Diem!!!

Thi