Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Would you like to know how to be a successful salesperson?Simply ask a customer--but not just any customer. Ask a customerwho is accustomed to dealing with the cream of the sales crop. Overthe years, I've conducted thousands of hours of interviews withmy customers' customers, specifically those who have been soldto by the best sales reps in their industry. In other words, eachof these customers has exceedingly high standards.
Here are the five things customers expect from successfulsalespeople:
1. Listen and learn. Customers want salespeople whosemain goal is to understand them and their businesses. They wantreps who spend time in precall planning and have the basicinformation in hand before they start talking, reps who understandthe potential customers' total environment, overall industryand primary competitors. They want to know the rep is interested intheir goals and objectives. (A good sales rep might even help thecustomer define those goals.)
2. Have an extensive range of knowledge. That meansknowledge of the customer's goals and environment, andknowledge of his or her products and policies. Customers want tofeel certain that the rep will be able to provide solutions,eliminate headaches, and help them grow their businesses. DavidDuley, category manager for Hannaford Bros. Co., a bakery inScarborough, Maine, deals with some of the finest sales reps in thecountry. "If I were a rep," explains Duley, "I wouldlearn what my customer and his or her company are trying to do.Then I'd go back to my company and say, `What products do wehave that can [benefit] this customer?' "Most times,a sales rep shows up with five products, and I know he'sbrought them in because his manager said, `I want you to push thoseproducts.' Don't think you're going to plop thoseproducts in front of me and I'm going to say yes on the spot.It's tempting to go for the quick sale, but you're betteroff making sure you understand my strategies and goals and the bigpicture of what I'm trying to do."
3. Sell what the customer sells. One of my favoritestories is about a rep who tried for years to sell a copier to theowner of an ice-cream store. The owner always saidno . . . until the rep came back to him withcolorful, creative menus he'd put together using the copier.Once the rep began to sell from the "ice cream" point ofview, the deal was made. The great sales reps always think of waysto meet the customer's goals. When that happens, they don'tjust make a sale, they create a loyal customer.
4. Build strong relationships. Every customer I'veever interviewed talks about the strong relationships they havewith their favorite sales reps. They were confident that these repswere not just concerned with making commissions, but were genuinelyinterested in the customers' overall needs. The saying thatcustomers buy from people they like, trust and respect may be old,but it couldn't be truer. It's the bond that cementscustomers to you for life.
5. Follow through. Customers want salespeople to keeptheir promises. The best reps establish a schedule for follow-upcalls and customer visits. They make sure everything following thesale, such as delivery and installation goes smoothly. Customerswant a sales rep to be a `point person,' someone who will coverany problems they might have with customer service, maintenance orbilling.
Customers are the true sales experts. If you listen to them,they'll tell you how to strengthen your relationships, how tosell more and how to increase your bottom line. What they ask inreturn is that you treat them with respect as human beings and thatyou value their business as much as they do.
