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Do you know someone that is perfect? They never seem to make mistakes. They look perfect. They act perfect. Many sales trainers dispensing sales tips will tell you never to show a weakness to a customer. I disagree.

No one really likes perfect people because we know it’s impossible to be perfect. I know I’m certainly not. We like hanging around people that are real with all of their good points and their bad ones too.

Our customers feel the same way about the companies where we work. They know there is no such thing as a perfect vendor. They know the company they work for isn’t perfect and they know the company we represent isn’t either. The more we try to convince them of how flawless and perfect our company is, the more they aren’t buying our gospel.

So what are the sales tips then?

We must be willing to give away something to our customers. I can best explain this with an example.

Customer: “Debbie, I need 20 of your assembly line robots and I need you to install them at all my locations.”

Salesperson (Debbie): “I know we can do a good job of taking care of your robotic needs and I’m looking forward to this project. When it comes to product availability and service there is no one better than us and everyone knows that. We could install those robots for you but that is not a strength of ours. I can arrange for another company that is excellent at these installations. I’ll take care of all the details. I want this equipment installed with no problems because I want to keep you as long term customer.”

Debbie was brilliant. She “gave up” one thing by stating that her company wasn’t strong at installations, but she gained the trust and respect of her customer in the process. She kept the part of the business that makes Debbie and her company the most money. She demonstrated to the customer that she was looking after their best interests. She was partnering with them in the truest sense of the word.

Put yourself in this customer’s shoes the next time they need to buy something from Debbie. Would you be inclined to believe Debbie’s recommendations? Absolutely.

Debbie gave away an ounce of business and earned a pound of credibility and a pound of future business.

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Tags: skills

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