Sales – Avoiding the sinking feeling by seeing the entire Iceberg

Selling is not easy… Sales requires passion, commitment, dedication and hard work. It requires dexterity, humility, confidence, empathy, ethics, emotion and behavioural awareness.

Sales people have been given a bad rap over the years, the double-glazing sales person, the estate agent, the second-hand car dealer, all have had their fair share of individuals who have given these respective industries a bad name. They have lied, they have bullied, they have pushed, they have not listened, these individuals with minimal ethics and less moral standards usually come to a sticky end…

Good sales people know their industry, recognise their domain, understand their products, they are aware of the business environment, they listen carefully, they ask open questions and not afraid to ask tough questions and more importantly respect their potential buyer/customer.

“ We have two ears and one mouth, so that we can listen twice as much as we speak ”

Epictetus

Whatever you are selling, be it ice creams, televisions or multi-million-dollar IT solutions, we are selling to people…, Homo Sapiens, individuals, humans, who will likely have the same moral compass, the same aspirations, the same concerns and also possibly the same insecurities…

The good sales person has to be honest and passionate with the capability to build confidence, strengthen rapport, instil trust and exude passion and enthusiasm about what they are selling. Importantly they need to chip away at that ‘iceberg’ that reflects the human psychic and behaviour of us all and understand the potential purchasers needs, aspirations, requirements, pains, threats, risks, objectives and desires.

“ Human behaviour flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. ”
Plato

Many books have been written on Understanding Human Behaviour, there are many imminent psychologists who have written books, articles and papers on the subject. In sales, you do not need to be a psychologist, but you do need to recognise that humans are complicated, rational and reasoning creatures, interacting and responding to the environment they find them themselves. We take our subconscious, involuntary or unconscious aspects for granted, they are fundamental to our day-to-day survival. The conscious and the subconscious, the voluntary and the involuntary: When it comes to humans, Homo Sapiens, individuals, people, these processes intertwine and influence one another. We are an iceberg when it comes to our complexity, traits, behaviours, feelings, senses, and sometimes we only experience the tip of the Iceberg when we meet people. In sales we need to discover what lies beneath the surface, the 90% of the individual that is usually protected, unseen or unknown without further interaction. Therefore 10% of the Buying Process is visible... Closed questions will result in one word responses. Without inquisitive open questions, you will only reveal the tip of the iceberg. Open questions will ensure the extraction of information critical to understanding the buyer and guiding the sale and fitting the needs of the end customer. Sales people need to discover the entire iceberg… they need to understand their customer

Closed questions – Do you?, Can you? Is it? These types of questions will only provide the sales person with minimal responses and information and just the tip of the iceberg.

Understanding the Iceberg below the waterline…

Open influenced questions – What?, Why?, How?, Which?, Who?, When?, Where? Which leave direction to the sales prospect

Open uninfluenced questions – What?, Why?, How?, Which?, Who?, When?, Where? Which lead towards specific needs, wants and requirements of the sales prospect

These types of questions instigate more informative discussion to occur, they provide the conduit for the prospect to open up and provide the intelligence and information required for the sales person to align to the real needs of the prospect and be able to answer and respond to the prospects queries. Open questions remove the natural trait of Assumption… sales person should never assume. Open questions allow people to bond based on finding commonality, sometimes this maybe through something outside the direct sales objective, it may be a social activity, personal aspirations, hobbies, etc. sales people need to understand their prospect and finding common topics is ideal for building that longer sustained relationship.

“Your customers don’t care about you. They don’t care about your product or service. They care about themselves, their dreams, their goals. Now, they will care much more if you help them reach their goals, and to do that, you must understand their goals, as well as their needs and deepest desires.”

Steve Jobs

Lateral Alliances offer professional and dependable consulting for all aspects of your company. From initiating and supporting marketing strategies, including PR, web design, graphic design, social media, business development, sale, right through to business and exit strategies, we have the skills and experience to support your business. We are a 'hands on' organisation, who prefer to get deeply involved in your business and challenges, not hide behind aimless discussions.

Insightful business thinking...

This Blog was inspired by attending a recent workshop with Jeff Downs at Quantum Sales http://www.quantum-sales.com/