Solve problems before you "sell"

Business to business sales is a profession open to anyone, with or without experience, and I’ve met salespeople whose natural selling skills have allowed them to be consistently successful right from the start of their selling careers.

For most, however, selling, like any other profession, requires hard work, experience, a commitment to success and typically some failure along the way before real consistent results are achieved.

Having spent many years in sales management, I'm often asked what advice I would give to new or inexperienced salespeople to help them get started. While every salesperson is different, there are a couple of things I think are critical for all new salespeople to understand if they are going to achieve real, consistent success in their careers.

1. Sales is not a zero-sum game. In other words, the customer does not have to "lose", in order for the salesperson to "win". The customer who feels they are talked into buying at too high a price, or to buy before they’re ready may give you your order, but be reluctant to give you much repeat business. The best, longest lasting salesperson/customer relationships are ones in which the customer and the salesperson both win. The salesperson gets their orders and the customer gets the products or services that meet their needs at the right time, price etc. Salespeople who focus too much on "getting the order" at all costs and not enough on whether the customer feels like they’re winning too will occasionally win a deal or two but lose out in the long run.

2. Business customers, particularly decision makers at larger companies, are not so much looking for "products" as they are for ideas on how to solve business problems. They need faster computers to speed up billing, or they need cheaper paper to lower costs etc. Their focus is not on the products (computers or paper), but on their business problems (billing and controlling costs). The products are tools they use to solve problems, but resolving the problem is more important to them that the actual product in almost every case. The more senior the customers responsibility level, the more this is true. So, it’s usually a good idea to focus on making sure you understand the customer’s problem and how your product solves it before shifting gears to bragging about all of your products whiz bang features. Features and benefits are how we differentiate our products vs. our competitors, but it's usually best to focus on them after you’ve established firmly with your customer that you understand their problem and have an idea how to solve it

Like most professions, consistent success in sales is rarely the result of just good luck or natural talent. In sales, hard work, preparation and an understanding of your customer’s objectives are the cornerstones of long term success. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against good luck and natural talent. It sure beats being unlucky (more on this later) and talentless. It's just that it seems that there is never enough of these commodities to go around.

Eric