Traditional sales methods no longer work!

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First of all may I recap on some of the points I've mentioned earlier:

• Having a system not only makes life easier but helps us to measure our success.
• You hate selling but it's part of your job
• Many people hate sales people
• Let's not be a salesperson
• We still need clients
• Whether we realise it or not, we are selling already

How many times have you put time and energy into a proposal only to find that it's been used as the basis for a specification for others to bid against and it was one of the others that got the business?

How many times have you left a meeting with a prospective client who wants "to think about it"?

How many times have you followed up meetings with prospects with numerous phone calls that they have failed to return?

How many times have you left a meeting thinking "all they wanted was free consultancy"?

A lot of salespeople will say "yes, but that's all par for the course, it's part of the job". A lot of professionals who hate selling don't really hate selling. What they hate is rejection. Many sales manuals will focus on "How to Overcome Rejection". Our archetypical salesperson will retort "it's part of the job" But why - does it have to be? I say no it doesn't have to be part of the job!

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Don't forget:-

• Let's not be a salesperson
• We still need clients
• We have a system that not only makes life easier but helps us to measure our success

Many people still nurse the view that selling is forcing people, often by wearing them down, to buy something that they neither need nor want.

I feel very strongly about the fact that if you don't have a solution for your prospect then walk away. If you pass the lead on to someone who might, who knows, you may even do business with them some other time. So in answer to the question "How can you agree outcomes in advance"? One thing that enables you to do that is your sincerity and I'm not talking about the "Have a nice day" type of sincerity, I'm talking about being genuinely interested in your prospect and their business. If you don't like people and what they do, then you are in the wrong job! All you need to do is to be yourself and be direct and agree the outcomes by having an "Understanding Up-Front".

Stage 1: Have an Understanding Up-Front

To reach agreement with your prospect in advance as to the time frame, plan and outcome for specific sales call or visit. Such a clear understanding is a prerequisite for every buyer-seller interaction. Not only is it in the prospects best interest, it's also in yours.

Rules:
4. Always begin with the end in mind
5. Avoid mutual mystification
6. Begin the way you wish to proceed