Salespeople from our publishing membership have asked about
the new selling style or the “new school” approach to sales. One hears a lot
about it today when searching for training and education information on
becoming a more effective salesperson. In my mind, Marc Wayshak is one of the
best at presenting the skills of a new school salesperson. Marc received rave
reviews after presenting at our FCPNY SuperConference earlier this year.
I subscribe to Marc's weekly email. This week's entry
follows, and it is to the point on how the sales process is evolving. From
Marc....
Here Are Five Ways to Stand out from the Competition
#1. Tone down the enthusiasm. Salespeople love to show their enthusiasm
to prospects about their product or service. The problem is that every
salesperson uses the same fake enthusiasm, and prospects are on to this gig.
It’s time to par back on the histrionics and simply be real and sincere.
#2. Stop trying to persuade. All of your competitors are out right now
trying to persuade their prospects to buy from them. Persuasion is a very
old-school strategy in selling, and it simply doesn’t work anymore because
every salesperson uses it. Instead of persuading, spend time asking effective
questions and understanding what your prospects are really seeking to
accomplish.
#3. Ask questions focused on outcomes. Nothing will separate you from
your competition more than fully understanding what your prospects are looking
to actually accomplish.
So ask questions such as, “Help me understand what you’d be looking to
accomplish,” or, “If I gave you a magic wand to change anything about your
situation, what would you change?”
By asking questions like this you are going to more effectively
understand what your prospects are seeking to achieve; you’ll thus stand out
from your competitors as the person who understands his goals.
#4. Learn about key challenges. Your prospects will not be buying your
product or service; they’ll be buying a solution to their challenges. By
starting your conversations focused on the challenges that your prospects are
facing, you are going to have a much better idea of how to actually solve those
challenges.
Think of going to a doctor: A doctor doesn’t ask you what solution you
want. A doctor asks you, “What are the challenges that you’re facing?” and asks
a lot of effective questions to understand what’s really going on. Follow this
same protocol and you will find that your approach is totally distinct from
that of your competitors.
#5. Don’t pitch your prospect. Prospects are so used to being pitched
by salespeople all day long that the second you start to give a pitch, the
prospect’s defense walls will go up significantly. Drop the pitch because it’s
time to start effectively asking questions to understand what’s going on.
Once you’ve fully understood what’s happening and you’ve gotten buy-in
from that prospect about what those challenges are, it’s time to just share
some potential solutions with your prospects in the form of a proposal or
presentation without all of the flare and hype of a pitch.
The most successful salespeople stand out like a sore thumb from their
competition. Be the apple among the oranges. By applying these five ways to
stand out from your competition, you’ll find that you’re totally and completely
distinct from your competitors.
Marc encourages his readers to share his information, as I
have today. I have to admit that I struggle with some of the new approaches. For example, I am an enthusiastic guy and toning down goes against my grain. But growth only comes through change, and change takes effort, sometimes pain.
I invite you to visit Marc's website, GamePlanSelling.com, where
you can get his free eBook, 25 Tips to
Crush Your Sales Goal and receive his weekly email on sales tips. And
remember to contact us at FCPNY whenever we can be of service to you. Call
877-275-2726 or email tcuskey@fcpny.com. Thanks for your time today!
