Do they Like you?

A simple concept...

Daily Sales Tip: 'Good' vs. 'Great' Salespeople

If you aren’t speaking from conviction, if you don’t really believe what you’re saying, you’re never going to be a great salesperson. Not unless you’re one of the best actors that ever lived. And if you’re that good an actor, you’ll probably be better off (those you’re trying to sell will certainly be better off) if you just go to Hollywood.

Good salespeople are polished and professional. And just a little slick. They’ve got a great pitch. They might be very likeable, but they make most prospects just a bit wary.

Great salespeople might be as polished as the Crown Prince of Moravia if that’s who they are or they might be as folksie as Will Rogers or Abe Lincoln. They might be a disorganized sloppy mess and not particularly articulate, though they’re always likeable, very likeable. And somehow they do always say just the right thing. Since they so obviously seems to believe in what they’re saying, it doesn’t seem to be a pitch. They “just seem to make a lot of sense.”

And they’re never slick. They’re genuine. The longer they talk, the less wary the prospect becomes. When the time comes for the great salesperson to close, buying from him or her is often as natural and as easy as ordering a fine meal at a favorite restaurant.

Great salespeople are aggressive and persistent and non-threatening: Which means they’re subtle and likeable enough that few ever perceive them as aggressive and persistent.

If a prospect tells you you’re a great salesperson, you aren’t. What he’s saying is that he feels that he’s being ‘sold’ something he would never purchase on his own. He may roll over and buy, but he won’t be happy about it. He won’t be happy to see you on your next visit, and he’s far more likely to develop buyer’s remorse and re-contact you the next day.

To me, the highest praise a salesperson can receive from a prospect is simply, “You make a lot of sense.” People who say that don’t feel sold, they feel their needs are being met. Of course they may never have realized they had those needs until you walked in the door. And I guarantee they’ll buy more from the salesperson who appears to make sense than from anyone they consider ‘a great salesperson.’

Source: Sales author/consultant Barry Maher (www.barrymaher.com)

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