New Sales Paradigm

Okay, it's not really new.  I just said so to get your attention.  So, what is this sales paradigm?  It's very simple, one that bears remembering for those who would like to pursue a career in professional selling.  This is how a person should divide his time and effort in order to make a career in selling.

• 1st Step (40%) - Foundation building, rapport, trust building, establishing credibility
• 2nd Step (30%) - Establishing needs (lacking/wants/needs), fact-finding, qualifying
• 3rd Step (20%) - Presenting features and benefits based on needs analysis
• 4th Step (10%) - Confirming understanding, answering objections, closing the sale 

 Of course, this is rather condensed.  There are a lot of things that go into selling, but this is the basic structure.  Nowadays, the effective salesperson spends time building relationships.  To build relationships you need to give 3 things:

• your TIME
• your CARING
• your RESPECT

 Maybe some of you would think "Why should I waste time building relationships in selling?"  Well, the short answer is, because people will not buy from people they don't like and trust, unless you're the only one selling what they want/need, and they want/need it badly.  Otherwise, if they can get it elsewhere, and they don't like and trust you, you don't sell.  In most cases, as long as people like and trust you, and you were able to demonstrate that your products' value is worth more than what they would pay for it, you would be immensely successful in this profession.

Of course, in majority of cases, the price issue will always be the last objection.  People have a wealth of options now, and if the cheaper alternative is acceptable, your last ace is if they like you enough to actually buy from you despite your product being more expensive.  Sometimes, even that's not enough, and people will buy the cheaper alternative despite liking you and despite you demonstrating that your product's value outweighs the price.  Remember not to blame yourself in those situations.  Some people are just like that, price over quality and service.  In most cases, people like those will get what they pay for, and they'll eventually come around to your side of the fence.  Most times, those kinds of people are really on a tight budget, so money really is an issue.  It's okay, other people value quality and service over price, so concentrate on finding more of those kinds of people and build relationships with them.

Finally, I'll share with you the 7 traits of the top salespeople according to Brian Tracy:

• Ambitious - hungry, always setting goals and sees quotas as a minimum
• Courageous - faces fears, unafraid of failure, unafraid of "NO"
• Honest - reliable, genuine, does not exaggerate, does not speak ill of the competition
• Empathetic - understands the client, listens fully, sensitive to needs
• Professional - sees themselves as consultants, expert adviser, knowledgeable, problem-solver, asks pertinent questions
• Prepared - does research, gets updated information, knows the material and details
• Responsible - accepts responsibility and makes no excuses, in charge of own life

To your success!

Jon