WIN BY MAKING PEOPLE FEEL IMPORTANT
It continues to amaze me that with all of the information and training available to companies and sales people, they continue to believe that sales is still about getting in front of people and telling them about who they are, what they have to offer and why they are awesome.
I feel that a core fundamental is still being missed and it’s this, people don’t care about you, they care about themselves. So the starting point should be about making them feel IMPORTANT.
With all the long winded company overviews and sales methodology I come across, this is still one of the simplest, cheapest and easiest ways to attract, retain and grow your customer base. Treat everyone you meet as if they have a sign around their necks that says “MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT”.
This is not about telling them you think their company is great or building rapport by asking about the golf photo on the wall, rather it’s about the first step in building trust.
It’s often stated that trust is the foundation to sales success and that you earn trust. The million dollar question is “how do you earn trust?” I have known some people for the past 20 years and still don’t trust them and probably never will, yet I have met some people and felt trusting after only 5 minutes, why is that? Research has shown that trust is built on 2 key foundations:
- Care – the starting point to building trust is by showing you have a genuine interest in the other person, and in sales, what is important to them – not you! This is done in the form of open questions about their interests, priorties, ideas, needs, outcomes etc. and then LISTENING
- Competence – being professional and able to assist them in achieving their requirements.
The challenge is that far too often sales people are still being “taught” that you build trust by leading with competence (both on the telephone and in person) and why you, your company, products and services and great.
Simply put, the old saying goes “people don’t care about what you have until they believe you care about them”, makes complete sense when it comes to selling.
I challenge you to make your engagements less about you, far more about them and see that sign around their neck saying “MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT”.
Wishing you an awesome sales month and I would love to hear your thoughts on the above.
Mark Keating
CEO: SalesGuru
Mark@salesguru.co.za
