Sales Blog with Sales Tips

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Summary: Sales is a mental game to be sure, but there is a physical component to it that we frequently overlook.

Remember how your parents used to tell you to “stand up straight” when you were a kid? They were giving you sales advice and didn’t even know it. Good posture not only helps us physically, but it also lessens anxiety and improves others’ perception of us. How you carry yourself as a sales professional is extremely important. Most sales professionals spend significant amounts of time and money on how they dress. All too frequently we forget the importance of how we present ourselves in those clothes. It’s simple, but it’s important.

Paying attention to your posture can have numerous benefits:

Anxiety. Anxiety is a very real part of all of our lives, especially in a fast paced sales career. High levels of anxiety in front of customers make it harder for us to think clearly, which can make verbalizing ideas more difficult (think of the last PowerPoint presentation you did in a customer’s boardroom). A clear head and the ability to speak well are essential skills in selling. By consciously standing upright with your shoulders back you can quite literally take your mind off of your anxiety. The human mind can process only one thing at a time; if you are thinking about your good posture, you aren’t going to have the mental bandwidth to obsess about your anxiety.

Confidence. When we are feeling confident we naturally stand more erect. Psychological studies have consistently shown that this can also work in reverse. Good posture can cause our thoughts to come in line with how we are physically presenting ourselves in front of the customer. Making ourselves stand erect can cause the confident feelings to naturally follow. Who doesn’t want to feel confident in front of customers?

Perception. If you carry yourself in a physically confident way your customers will notice. When a slumped over person walks in a room we immediately assume that person is weak. When someone walks in a room standing tall we assume that they are confident, knowledgeable and in control. Customers like to give their business to individuals that have those attributes. People like buying from people that appear successful and confident.

You may be tempted to dismiss the importance of posture because it is so simple. Amidst all the sales concepts and techniques that you employ everyday, don’t forget the importance of your posture as a backdrop to how your customers literally see you. Good posture will lower anxiety, make you feel more confident and make you look like a winner to your customers.

To receive this sales tips blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Summary: Customers prioritize purchases based on a hierarchy of need versus urgency.

There are four levels of need and want when it comes to customers’ and prospects’ sense of buying urgency. They are most likely to buy in a “Need/Now” situation and least likely to buy in a “Want/Future” scenario.

1. Need/Now customer. They need what you sell and they currently don’t have any. This is a situation where something is broken and it needs to be fixed immediately. An example would be a hospital running out of bandages.

2. Want/Now customer. The customer doesn’t really need something, but they would really like to have what you are selling, and they would like to get it now. An example would be new personal computers. They would like to have new personal computers for everyone but the ones they have are working just fine. They’re going to have to start finding things wrong with their current PC’s so the want becomes a need. You, no doubt, will cheerfully help them change the want to a need.

3. Need/Later customer. They need your products and services but they just don’t need them now. If the customer is not very good at managing their purchasing, this could easily turn into a Need/Now. Your job in this environment is to get them lined up to buy from you when they do need to buy.

4. Want/Later customer. They want what you are selling, but they want it in the future. This kind of customer thinks, “Gee, I sure like that widget that Bob is selling; I’m going to have to get one someday.” You have a twofold chore here; show them why they need your product and why they need it now.

There are two things to keep in mind regarding the above hierarchy. The closer a customer is to Need/Now the more urgent the need. As a result you can probably command higher prices and the sales process will go faster. The closer the customer is to Want/Later the harder you’ll have to work to generate urgency and need. Virtually every potential sale falls into one of these categories and an awareness of this will help you prioritize your time and focus your efforts.

To receive this sales tips blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer

Summary: A key ingredient to stir into all of your sales techniques is creativity; it will make you more effective and your job more interesting.

I’m going to bet that if you’ve been in sales for more than a few years you’re probably a little boring to your customers and prospects. You may also be down on your energy level. This matters because customers and prospects respond positively to energy and creativity.

I was talking recently with a very young and green salesperson that works for a Fortune 500 company in a relational sales position. His company has been trying to get an appointment with the VP of a very large prospect for years. Within six months of being assigned to this prospect he had an appointment with the targeted VP. How? The VP gave as the reason for not seeing this salesperson that half of his office was out with the flu. Two days later the salesperson delivered to the VP’s office three certificates for flu shots with a note that said, “I’m not going to let something as simple as the flu keep us from meeting.” One week later the appointment was set and the VP told him, “Every time I was told someone else was out with the flu, I thought of you.”

Was this technique a little corny and maybe even aggressive? It may have been, but the new salesperson correctly calculated that he had nothing to lose and that the traditional techniques obviously were not working. This is but one example of a million new and fresh ideas that you can use when selling. Customers and prospects know all the old and tired sales techniques; try something new! Climb out of your box. Think of your customers and prospects as sleeping beauties that you need to wake up. You don’t want a competitor to be the handsome prince that kisses them and wakes them up.

An added benefit of introducing some novel thinking into your sales techniques is that it can make your job more interesting. Do you think the salesperson had some adrenalin pumping when he delivered the flu shot certificates to the VP’s assistant? Of course he did, and that’s what can make sales exciting.

Get back in the game. Amp your energy level up and introduce some fresh and off-the-beaten-path ideas with your customers and prospects. It won’t be easy and will probably scare you a little at first, but it will increase your sales and make your job more fun.

To receive this sales tips blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer