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WHAT IS 'SALES'?

And how can you improve it?
Many people are often confused about what is “Marketing” and what is “Sales”.

The primary difference between the two is that “Marketing” focuses on understanding the needs and wants of customers, designing products to meet their needs and communicating about these to the market, whereas “Sales” is the process of getting those specific products or services into the hands of customers.

What is Selling?
Selling consists of cold calls, introductions, interviews, appointments, events, proposals, presentations, referrals, building rapport, networking, listening, asking for the order, overcoming objections, closing the sale, and dealing with rejection. There is a lot to know about the business of selling so it is no wonder many people are a bit overwhelmed when they are asked to sell.

Selling is not a job for the faint-hearted. It is a ‘communication-rich’ activity, with lots of verbal and non-verbal clues to simultaneously recognise, understand and respond to. It can be a tough job looking after the interests of your customer and the company at the same time, especially when you have to do this many times a day, every day.

Selling is a Journey with a Destination
The sales process does not usually proceed in a linear, one-way direction. The participants may wander along paths filled with associated ideas, go back to items already discussed, find answers for problems (overcome objections) and explore the features and benefits of products or services offered.

On many occasions handling a sale is much like steering a boat across a strong current. There is a need to constantly assess the amount of 'drift', making minor adjustments to stay on course for the destination.

A skilful sales person can handle these diversions and carefully guide the prospect to recognise why they should make the decision to purchase 'this' product’ from 'this company'.

An effective selling style will display a relevant and appropriate personal manner combined with a strong focus on the required outcome.

The Disrespectful Salesperson
For those working outside the field of professional selling, it is common for the sales process, and salespeople for that matter, to be misunderstood. Indeed, there are those who think of sales staff as being universally pushy, overbearing, and making the customer feel ill at ease. However this type of behaviour is usually the result of inexperience or poor sales training.

Over recent years the art of selling has been transformed into a process now often referred to as 'consultative selling'.

The Respectful Salesperson
More than just a buzzword, consultative selling refers to the process of developing a clear understanding of your customers’ needs and following this through with a logical presentation of how your product or service can help your customer be satisfied.

In effect consulting with your client to determine their needs and develop a solution.

Effective sales people have mastered the skill of identifying the needs of individual prospects, matching those needs with benefits offered by their product or service, and closing the sale by ensuring that the customer can see real value in the deal being offered. It is a win-win result.

Throughout the process an experienced salesperson will generate a level of trust with the customer that can stand the test of time.

Different Personalities
Salespeople can be divided into two particular groups, based on personalities. These are commonly referred to as “Farmers” and “Hunters”.

As the descriptions indicate, a “Hunter” is someone who pursues and wins new business on a continuing basis. They do not wait for people to knock on their door; but rather they continually chase the new opportunities. A “Farmer” is someone who patiently maintains the relationships and grows the opportunities within the client base.

One type of salesperson cannot survive without the other. As a business you need salespeople who are both Hunters and Farmers on your sales force or your firm will ultimately fail. It is rare to find a salesperson that encompass both personalities and you need to decide which personality you should attract or develop in order for your business to become more successful.

So, if you are a wondering why your sales team is not hitting their numbers, maybe it is because your sales team is only made up of Farmers and your expectations are unrealistic.

7 ways to greater sales

1. Respect the personal barriers your salespeople must overcome on a daily basis.
2. Have a territory management plan in place.
3. Provide appropriate supervision to ensure good sales practices are maintained.
4. Ensure the customer has regular contact with other people (or departments) within your business other than the salesperson.
5. Comprehensively train your salespeople on company procedures, their responsibilities and your expectations.
6. Have a procedure for listening to, assessing, and acting upon feedback from people in the field.
7. Avoid involving salespeople in non-sales activities such as deliveries and collecting account payments. These tasks will undermine the sales relationship and will adversely impact on your sales results. Keep your sales person as the 'good guy'.

Remember, selling is an art - the art of guiding the sales process to a mutually satisfying conclusion.

© COPYRIGHT
All articles are copyright. These articles may be used for publication in magazines and newsletters with prior permission from the author and Samperi Consulting Group Pty Ltd. Please contact Samperi Consulting Group Pty Ltd for further information at karina@samperi.com.au.

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