| You will always be your number one
customer. It's not the big account you service, nor is it the hot new prospect you just
uncovered; it's you. The reason is simple. If you're not completely confident in what
you're selling, you will never come close to maximizing your sales potential.
Sell Yourself
The current sales environment makes the need to sell
yourself even more important. If you think you're the exception to this rule and you're
not completely confident in the products or services you offer, ask yourself this simple
question: Have you ever offered a discounted price to either keep a customer or attract a
new one? Few salespeople can honestly say they have never done this. If you have, it means
that you were not 100% sold on your product or service.
As a consumer, when we don't fully believe in what is being
offered to us, we naturally expect a discount. We want something in return for not being
completely confident about what we're buying. Since the salesperson hasn't communicated
the level of confidence we need in order to buy the product at full price, we want some
type of concession to make us feel better about the purchase.
Completely Sold
To be completely sold on your product or service, not only
do you need to use what you sell, but you also need to understand all of the benefits that
your product or service provides. As a sales consultant who works with thousands of
different professionals each year, I'm amazed at the number of salespeople who admit that
they don't even use what they sell. How can anyone be totally committed to a product or
service if they don't even use it? Furthermore, it's not uncommon for me to see
salespeople shortchanging themselves because they are unable to identify and explain the
value of what they are selling. Although this sounds basic, many salespeople cannot name
five benefits their customers receive from using their product or service. They can
usually only list five features. Without understanding the full array of their product's
benefits, there's little chance the customer will ever see them too.
A poor sales process is usually a good indicator of whether
or not the salesperson is sold on the product or service they are offering. Nothing
conveys a lack of confidence faster than a sales process that is not professional.
Unfortunately, for many salespeople, a disorganized sales process is the norm and it only
serves to destroy more sales and, ultimately, a huge amount of profit. Despite the
customer's desire to buy, an unorganized sales process creates an air of skepticism that
often can only be countered by offering some type of discount to close the deal.
With the current state of the economy, it is imperative
that sales professionals be both confident and competent to achieve maximum success. In
any sales call, you best communicate these qualities by being completely sold on your
product or service. If you are not, find ways to better educate yourself so that you can
become your number one customer. Remember, "No customer is ever sold until the
salesperson is sold." |
