We all have turned our heads and rolled our eyes as a sales person approached us with their focused goal of selling us something. Or worse yet, with their instant knowledge of what our concerns are and the problems that we are trying to solve in our business or personal life.
I remember the first time I ever went to a doctor. Approximately 17 years ago, I felt a pain in my shoulder and within days I started to feel my entire body go out of balance. I will never forget my feeling of awe for the doctor that stood in front of me. Within seconds he knew what was wrong with me, what caused it, and most importantly, how he could be of service to me. That being my first experience, I was overjoyed at the simplicity of what I thought would be a painful waste of time.
Unfortunately, he was wrong. In fact, he hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. How could he when he did not even take the time to ask me any relevant questions? You can imagine the shell I had put up after experiencing the same arrogance for the next decade and more.
That is exactly what our clients are feeling before we even start our sales presentations. They have been through that process so many times that their minds are already shut before we get a chance to implant our ideas within them.
It is more crucial now than it ever was in sales to ensure we do not try and sell to our clients. Instead, we must understand that there is a very specific process we need to follow, based on our questioning. These critical questions we ask are the questions that will stop them in their tracks and start opening their minds to us again.
The fact is few people will respond to the salesperson who only thinks of making the sale just to obtain the subsequent financial reward. Successful salespeople view selling as first, understanding the pains , concerns and situations their clients are facing and then secondly, helping them make sensible and well-informed decisions.
The difference is simple: Ineffective salespeople try to close; effective salespeople ask relevant questions in a systematic process.
In the age of information, our clients are more educated then ever; they certainly have a clearer idea of what their needs are. Therefore, the salespeople who takes the time to create a proper sales process will ultimately have a higher level of success.
Always remember that your clients are people, not companies.
Fred Sarkari
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Fred has clearly outlined a day to day issue that I face with new and existing clients. It is a general concensus in this day and age that people working in the financial field are looking out for themselves and the big money makers rather than the actual clients at hand. This is in fact the exact opposite approach that I take and try to put across to my clients. Each client has a unique situation and without fully understanding and empathizing with them you can not gain their trust and relationship if they perceive you to be thinking of your personal goals rather than that of theirs. I find that my most successful deals come from the clients that I spend the most time listening to and dealing with which in turn always brings me more business because I have in fact gained their trust. Knowing that the customer is happy and feels as though I have taken the time to acknowledge their financial situation as a personal one is the best thing that one in my field can take away at the end of their day. Fred has brought forward what we all feel in our day to day interactions with clients and that of our own personal ones.
T., how right you are – especially in your industry. When you are asking your clients to make a decision that affects their finances, you are asking them to make a very emotional decision. Trust is one of the pillars required in order to deal with another concerning their financial future.
Someone once told me a very long time ago, help enough people become successful, unconditionally and you will in turn receive more then you can ever imagine.
In turn, help your clients become successful and your business will grow in leaps and bounds.
Our clients will always know if we are faking it or are genuine to their success. Be genuine and you will gain their trust and in turn not only their business but the business of their inner circle of people.
Fred Sarkari
Fred:
Wow, sometimes it’s so true how we get so focused on our own adjenda that we forget about our clients needsl. We talk about how important it is to listen to the client and their needs but your article on it really helped bring it home.