There are four parts to what we call the new model of selling. The first part, which determines fully 40 percent of the sales transaction, is for you to develop a high trust relationship between yourself and the prospective customer.
The first part of the new model of selling is Trust. Trust is the glue that holds sales relationships together. Trust is the foundation of your relationships with your customers and every other important person in your life, for that matter. It\’s the foundation that you must build before you can make any attempt to sell your product or service.
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The second part of the new model of sellingthe relationship model. Fully 30 percent of the sales process, in fact, is accurately identifying the customer\’s real needs relative to what you are selling or the customer\’s real problems that your product or service can solve. The way you develop trust is by asking questions related to the customer\’s needs and then by listening attentively to the answers. The more you ask questions and listen carefully, the more the customer trust you. The more the customer trust you, the more the customer will open up and expand on his or her real needs, wants, and desires. The great rule for success in selling today is that listening builds trust when you listen attentively without interrupting your customer feels more important and valuable. His or her self-esteem increases your customer, likes you better, and is more open to doing business with you. If the customer likes you, the details won\’t get in the way. But if the customer doesn\’t like you, the details will trip you up every step of the way.
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The third part of the new model of selling 20 percent of the process is the presentation. However, in the professional presentation, you focus exclusively on showing the customer his or her needs can be met, or his or her problems can be solved with the unique features and benefits of the product or service you are selling. Your presentation is not canned. It is carefully crafted and tailored to respond specifically to what your customer has told you during the initial stages of the conversation.
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The fourth part of the new model of selling is the confirmation and closing phase. The final part of the new model of selling is the confirmation or closing phase. This is a relatively small part of the sale. The final 10 percent if you build trust 40 percent clarified needs 30 percent and presented well 20 percent in the first parts of the sale. This is the natural conclusion of the sales process.
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Relationships are everything. The more and better relationships you can establish with more and better customers, the more sales you will make, and the more profitable your business will be. Approach each new customer as if you will be selling to this customer and dealing with this customer for many years to come. Focus all your attention on developing a high-quality, high-trust relationship. When you build and maintain this type of relationship, the sale will happen by itself, and the sales will go on year after year. As we said before, positioning is everything. The way you are positioned or perceived in the heart and mind of your customer will determine everything that your customer does in relationship to you and your product or service recommendations. For the customer perception. What they think they see is reality. It is not who you really are or what your product or service really is. It is how your customer thinks and feels about you that determines whether or not your customer buys and continues to buy. For this reason, the very best salespeople position themselves as consultants to their customers rather than as salespeople. They think of themselves as consultants, and they act like consultants and everything they do and say.
> Rule: Here\’s an important rule. People accept you at your own evaluation of yourself.
So how do you position yourself as a consultant in the account? Simply tell the customer I see myself more as a consultant than as a salesperson. The customer will see you as you see yourself. If you see yourself as a consultant, the customer will see you as a consultant as well. How can you tell who a person really is only by looking at their actions at what they do? You are evaluated by others on the basis of your behavior. If you act like a consultant, people will accept that you are a consultant, even if they began by thinking that you were a salesperson. If you think of the words that people use to describe a consultant, you usually think of the following expert, knowledgeable, objective, friend, problem solver, counselor and adviser, good questioner, helper teacher, and a good listener. To partner with your customers, to position yourself as a consultant and as an advisor, you must simply act the part. When you meet a customer for the first time, you can open the conversation by saying, Mr. Customer, thank you for your time. I want you to know that I\’m not here to sell you anything because I see myself more as a consultant. And in our time together, what I would like to do is to ask you a few questions and see if there isn\’t some way that we can help you achieve your goals in a cost-effective manner. From that moment on, where you behave as a consultant would behave. Instead of talking and waving price lists and brochures, you ask good questions, listen intently to the answers and look for a problem or need that your product or service can solve or satisfy the customer.
As a consultant and partner, you position yourself with the customer by using inclusive words such as we and ours. For example, you say what we seem to have here is a problem in this particular area or our goal in this area should be to achieve this particular objective. Salespeople sell to the customer while consultants sell to the customer. At the end of your question and answer sequence, when it\’s clear to both of you that your product or service can be helpful to the customer. You do not close the sale. Instead, you make recommendations for action. Mr. Customer, based on what we have discussed, what I would recommend for you would be the following. Or you could even say what I would recommend that we do now would be the following. When your customers view you as a consultant, as a partner, as a friend who is helping them improve their lives and work, they will buy from you over and over again and recommend you to others. All the highest-paid salespeople in every field are perceived as consultants and partners by their customers. When you achieve this positioning in the minds and hearts of your customers, you will sell far more than with any other approach. Average salespeople throw themselves at the customer like dogs chasing a passing car. Top salespeople, in contrast, think strategically, plan strategically and act strategically in everything they do. As a result, they make five and 10 times as much as many sales and vastly more money than average salespeople. You start selling strategically by standing back and looking at the big picture. Begin with your territory. What is your market? Where is your market? Who exactly are the potential customers within your territory and your market area? Take time to think before acting so that every action you take is aimed at generating the maximum result.