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Selling Skills

The best and worst sales tip of the decade

By December 28, 2009No Comments

How to recession proof selling has somehow become a meaningful selling strategy for sales trainers. I’ve succumbed to this as well, so before going on, I ask for your forgiveness. There is no one way to recession proof selling. In reality, the best way to sell today (and yesterday and tomorrow) is to be relevant in the way that most helps your customer succeed. Regardless of how wonderful your widget/widget-service  is, how well-priced it is or how good you, personally, are at listening or talking, the only thing that matters to the customer is the value they receive from that widget. The more helpful the widget is in helping them create success (success as defined by them), the easier it is to recession proof your selling even if it isn’t a recession.

The best sales tip then is to love your customer, touch their heart, embrace them. Tell your story in a way that puts them at ease, takes away the buying risk, helps them feel special or at the very least comfortable, safe and smart and you’ll always be in the position to serve them well and profit, too.

Social networking offers a new world of opportunity to offer value. To ignore the ability to connect authentically by providing valued and valuable information to prospects and clients is, to me, sheer madness. Staying relevant is easier when you’re constantly providing insightful information that helps people educate themselves and learn more about who you are as a company, brand, personality.

So what is the worst sales tip? Thinking that email is no longer king. The ability to briefly and persuasively email the business case for selecting your widget has never been more crucial to sales success.

It’s true that just as my generation rebelled loudly against what our parents’ generation said, did and enjoyed, generations younger than whatever age you are, will rebel against what you like, do, say. Email may very well become the fax. But it isn’t dead yet and smart professionals are learning how to elevate their conversation through email. Savvy sales people understand if they can “twitterize” their email – write concisely, clearly, directly and with love for their customer – they not only get through, they build business and drive sales. They don’t expect the luxury of sitting down face-to-face (and see that as a waste of time anyway) but learn to make their business case quickly through a well-written email. They know the on-line RFP is efficient and effective and learn to absolutely differentiate themselves with the email that transmits their well-written response. They define themselves and their brand – and beat their competitive set – because they use email as a sales strategy and not as something routine or unimportant.

Do you agree? Please leave your comment. What are your best sales tips?

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