SKILL NUMBER 9: SELLING

THE BOOK OF MANAGEMENT

THE TEN ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ACHIEVING HIGH PERFORMANCE

SKILL NUMBER 9: SELLING (pg. 554 - 621)

People buy from people they like, respect, and trust

 

Selling is really about building and managing relationships.  Today’s customers want added value and to address their needs and deliver solutions.  To be successful, you have to collaborate, facilitate and have a sense of partnership with your customers.  You also must be a brilliant innovator, have the ability to think creatively, and able to manage creative processes to be able to know what the customers need.

Appealing to buyers can be done when the salesperson has the following ability:

• Empathy – the ability to connect with someone
• Understanding the customers
• Build trust
• Making yourself visible to the customer
• Strengthen relationship
• Gives opportunity to learn of customers’ need
• Showing that you care
• Listening

People’s real needs are sometimes hidden behind apparent solutions.  Sometimes the customers will tell you exactly what they need.  Selling would be a far easier task if customers could be relied on.  People make the decision to buy things because of the benefits rather than features. 

Objections from customers are barriers to progress.  There are two assumptions to customers’ objections:

1. Unfulfilled needs
2. Indicate interest at some level

TIPS FOR SELLING

1.	Think creative	Customers need your creativity to help solve their problems.
2.	Set the tone	It helps to be fun.  Be the kind of person who brightens up a room when they enter.
3.	Get in touch	Focus on empathy. Management guru, David Maister:             Customers don’t care how much you             know until they know how much you             care.

IN FOCUS FOR SELLING

1.

Selling profile

Characteristics of successful salesman: Willingness to take risks Generosity A thick skin A methodical approach Resourcefulness Tenacity

Short notes from:

THE BOOK OF MANAGEMENT

The Ten Essential Skills For Achieving High Performance

Darling Kindersley Limited (DKL), Penguin Group (UK)