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By Richard Flint, CSP
Keynote Speaker at the KAR Convention
I was talking to a group of salespeople about the market they were working in and seeking to get a sense of what they were feeling. One young salesperson looked at me and said in a very serious tone, "This is a tough market. People don't want to buy. They don't even want to be bothered with your sales pitch. I just don't know what to do."
His statement is the same as I am hearing in most venues where I go. Selling is more challenging! It requires a different type of presence; it takes sharper skills; it is really a market that demands going back to the basics. Here is the interesting part - many salespeople have either forgotten what the basics are or have never used them.
Back to prospecting. That is the front door to finding customers and there are people who want to buy in any market.
Asking the right questions to the right people. Too many salespeople have built their relationship with those who aren't really the decision maker. They need to find the path to the real decision maker and sit as a student in front of them.
Stay focused on making the sale, not getting the order. When business is good, too many salespeople get spoiled with how easy it is to get business, BUT in a business environment that is not order driven, they have to sell.
Investigate to find where their real need is right now. As the marketplace is going through redefinition, the needs of the company must be adapting. Your value is not in doing business as usual, but in finding where they are going and adapt your presentation to go with them.
Challenge yourself to have a greater presence of value. This is so important; you are either going to look like everyone else out there who is lost, or you are going to arrive prepared to have a presence that stands above the crowd.
Sharpen your skills. This is what it is all about. It is about sharpening your skills of focus, research, communication and solution finding. It is about having such a presence of value, that an unusual business increases your value, rather than diminishing it.
For more information about Richard Flint, please visit http://www.richardflint.com/
or attend the KAR Convention, October 6-8 at the Overland Park Marriott.
