To be successful in sales requires more than just the ability to arrange meetings, prepare proposals, and source leads. The art of personal interaction and the ability to convince others is often the deciding factor as to whether a deal is won or lost. Having a basic grasp of NLP, with its ability to improve both personal and business communication, is a powerful tool in any sales arsenal.
The central skill within sales is the ability to engage with people. Although there are many differences between individuals, there are basic behavioural rules that are common to us all that govern how we interact with each other. Correctly understanding these triggers will give you a far greater opportunity to persuade and win over others to your sales message, making the closing of a deal far more likely. The following tips will substantially add to your current sales arsenal.
Use the Correct Language
All sales people are taught to use open-ended questions to keep a conversation going, one of the most basic communication principles. In addition, using the right words and being mindful of your body language will be crucial in developing a rapport with a potential customer. Often more than 55% of your communication is non-verbal, communicated through your body posture. Adopting a non-threatening, open body language is key to making your customer feel comfortable in your presence. If the customer doesn't feel comfortable then they won't trust you. If they don't trust you, they won't buy from you.
After body language, using the right terminology can really aid your cause. Using the same phrases as your customer uses, or industry standard phrase, can provide you with an immediate shortcut into your client's psyche by setting you as a part of the group. Using the right words shows that you are not an outsider, and can be trusted.
Be Personable
Humans are highly visual, and a well presented person is instinctively trusted more than they more dishevelled competitor. When meeting clients dress for the occasion, be presentable, smart and ensure that you pay attention to the small details, all of which can help set you aside from the competition and make a more powerful first impression.
It's very easy to try to adopt a persona that you think a client will like, but be aware that false personas are very easy to spot since they are so very unnatural. There are natural body language pointers that identify if you are lying or being deceptive, and adopting a false persona will start setting off these signals. Be approachable, open, and amenable. Listen to what your customer is telling you, and use that information later on to help communication further. Don't try to be someone that you're not, but instead focus on being a very polite version yourself, which will usually be someone that the customer feels they can talk to.
Be an expert in Your Product or Service
Being an expert in your products means that you can authoritatively answer any questions that your client might have, and identifies you not only as a consumate professional, but indicates a true enthusiasm for your role and your product. In order to buy into your product or service your customers need to buy into you! If you can't be bothered to find out more about your product, why should your client?
Understand the Industry
Keep abreast of industry news, spending 20 minutes or so each morning to pick up on the recent headlines, and read a few news articles. All of this can be done online, and just a few minutes worth of research every day will give you an enviable battery of small talk topics for your particular market. For customers, speaking to someone who has a firm grasp on the current events in the industry is another demonstration of their commitment and enthusiasm to the industry, reinforcing your position as a member of your customer's particular group and not as an outsider.
Give Things Away
At the start of any sales process customers will naturally be guarded and distrusting, it's natural human behaviour. Having some news articles, web links to useful information or other such resources can really help to demonstrate your willingness to help your customer as a whole, not just in making a sale. The resources should be related to the industry that your customer operates in, but perhaps not relevant to the sale you're trying to make. Being helpful outside of the sales process demonstrates that you're not just after the customer's money, but in developing a good professional relationship.
Go That Extra Mile
Extra research before ameeting can really help you demonstrate a deeper knowledge or understanding of your client or their organisation, making the customer feel as if you really do value them. This will set you leagues ahead of any competition that doesn't bother.
Answer all calls in the timeliest fashion possible and deliver on any and all promises that you make to a customer. This is the best trust building tool that you have. A customer cannot buy from someone they do not trust. Building trust is the foundation to any ongoing relationship, and starting a commercial relationship off with a high degree of trust will maximise ongoing sales later, so going the extra mile will pay off.
Old School is Best School
When it comes to human interaction face to face or vocal communication is still the absolute best form. This doesn't mean that there's no place for email or even social media in the world of sales, but technology should be a method for you to manage and source your customers. When it comes to the final stages use the phone and arrange face to face meetings.
Customer Schedules
Your clients will have a natural schedule that they follow. There are peaks in activity and troughs with everyone, but there are also these ups and down within professions. Take the time to learn these and don't time phone calls during busy periods. Phone calls are interruptive, and timing the call well can make the difference between a receptive client and one that is too busy to listen to your message.
Understand how your customers schedule their daily activities and plan your day around this. Don't call customers when they're likely to be at their busiest, and don't be prospecting for new leads when your current leads are more willing and able to take a call from you!
Neuro Linguistic Programming
Studying the basics of NLP, or Neuro Linguistic Programming, can help you to make your own communication with customers far more effective by giving you an insight into the type of person your customer is and how to best structure your words and sentences to make your messages more acceptable to that customer. Study NLP and fully embrace what it offers.
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