Selling Can Be a Challenge
Even the most successful salespeople reach plateaus and struggle to find ways to push through to the next level. One of the most basic elements of selling is the ability to put yourself in your client’s shoes and see things from their perspective.
Once you begin to understand what your client’s burning problems are and how you can help to solve them, you are on your way to building a solid relationship that goes beyond selling and enters the world of problem-solving.
The hard part is sensing what your clients are thinking. With a little time, research, and empathy, you can gain key understandings about your clients. Here are five ways to start thinking like your clients and walking in their shoes:
Why your company or organization?
Remember, you are not the only person out there selling a solution. What your organization brings to the table is just as important as the product or service you are selling. The company that sells a product and then disappears is all of our worst nightmares. Testimonials from other clients help tell the story of how your organization stands beside its customers, products, and services. Building and demonstrating trust is so crucial.
Why you?
This is one of the most important aspects of selling that comes down to relationship building. What key differentiators do you bring to the table that no other person does in the market? Can you name three things that make you different than the next salesperson? Find what makes you unique and why someone would want to do business with you.
Why should I buy?
Many times, salespeople get caught up in the features and try selling the features over the benefits. People buy for the benefits, not the features. Experts tell us that after hearing three or four key elements, the listener loses interest. The good salesperson understands the benefits they are selling and how it solves a client’s problems.
How does this make my life, my business, better?
Is what you are selling a “got to have” or a “nice to have?” Understanding your client’s burning problem makes the solution easier to identify and easier to explain because you have researched and understood the client’s problems, issues, and market.
Why is your product offering the solution?
The good salesperson connects the dots for their clients. The strong salesperson brings all the essential elements together and shows how their product or service solves the customer’s most significant problems and challenges. A strong salesperson has the depth and storytelling powers to bring the whole process together.
We have all experienced the salesperson who is selling just to make their “numbers” and who knows very little about their businesses or organization. The good salesperson, on the other hand, is building relationships and solving a burning problem for a customer in such a way that the client feels good about working with the salesperson.
So, the next time you get ready to pitch a client, think about what they are needing and what issues are keeping them up at night. Key insights take the relationship in whole new direction.