EVEN IF YOU ARE AN OWNER or manager, to some degree, you’re still in sales — intentionally or not. Unintentional salespeople don’t think of sales as their primary role, but they find themselves spending much of their day doing just that — from selling their expertise to selling ideas or products. Think about the entrepreneur who is selling his ideas to financial backers. Consider the business owner or manager who sells his services in virtually every personal and professional conversation, simply due to his belief in what he offers. How about those in professional service roles — like attorneys and doctors — who desire to grow their practices, but may prefer not to entrust their sales efforts to others? Although they mean well, unintentional salespeople often have little formal sales training and may struggle with these four common challenges. If you can avoid these pitfalls, you’re guaranteed to improve your sales performance.
Self-Defeating Talk: If you have been known to say, “I’m not a salesperson,” consider taking a different perspective, without the self-defeating talk. Over 90 percent of professional positions have some kind of sales component, since sales is simply the art of persuading others to consider your solution. Take pride in your ability to sell.
Over-Zealous Delivery: Owners are often guilty of delivering a sales pitch with an abundance of enthusiasm. While passion can be powerful in sales, it can also cause someone to talk too fast, overwhelming a prospect with too much information, without listening closely.
Passion can also make it difficult to know when to stop talking and close the sale.
Racing Past the Fork: In many cases, it’s appropriate to prepare a formal presentation for a sales pitch. When you do, and your prospect interrupts with questions, what do you do? Do you respond to his questions, and then too quickly veer back to the presentation? Unintentional salespeople often do this. Instead, think about your presentation as simply a method for telling your story in a way that’s designed to encourage interruptions. The next time a prospect asks you a question, welcome that two-way interaction. It’s an opportunity to build trust.
Avoiding the Post-Mortem: A post-mortem is an analysis of what worked and what didn’t work during a sales meeting. Avoid moving ahead to the next opportunity until you’ve stepped back to uncover any weaknesses in the pitch you just delivered. The post-mortem is critical for continuous improvement so you can prevent repeat mistakes. Think about what language resonated most with the prospect, what fell flat, what you would continue doing, and what you would modify if you had a second chance. If you’re able to leap past these four selling obstacles, you will be well on your way to becoming the intentional salesperson you never thought you could be.
