Chris Salisbury wrote a thoughtful article entitled, The Mighty Triangle of Influence. He identified a common challenge faced by sales professionals, namely that a committee or team decides collectively when it comes to making purchases for a business. Naturally, influencing a group requires far more skill than persuading a single individual. The Committee The usual […]
Selling to the Mighty Triangle Read More »
You have a measly 7 seconds to form a first impression (Willis and Todorov, Psychological Science, 2006). Your mind quickly takes into account multiple traits when you meet someone new. These include educational achievement, economic level, trustworthiness, sophistication, success, credibility, competence, and sexual desirability. So when buyer meets seller, each is sizing up the other
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Jack proposed lunch and then arrived late. No excuse, he simply breezed in and took his spot at the table set for four. He quickly caught the drift of the conversation, made a comment, and adeptly changed it to his favorite topic – one of his activities. Jack is engaged with many endeavors both professionally
Confidence Alone Won’t Close the Sale Read More »
It takes 7 seconds to make a first impression. When meeting someone in person, you immediately notice ethnicity, gender, outfit, gestures (or lack thereof), hairstyle, accessories, and grooming. Your computer brain then analyzes each characteristic and, in a nanosecond forms an impression based on past experience and association. Knowing this process, sales professionals often take
Use Your Voice to Close More Sales Read More »
Rebecca is a spark plug, not just in stature but also in the way she ignites an audience. She’s a fire first, aim later type of person. Not only is she always on the go, but she also surrounds herself with people just like her. Full of enthusiasm, she lights up a room and energizes
Adjust Your Style to Close Sales Read More »
“I’m just an employee.” “I’m just a representative.” “I’m just the sales person.” Perhaps you’ve heard them uttered by someone you know. Whatever the circumstances, the message is one of passivity and weakness. It conveys the idea that things are out of their control and not subject to their intervention. It dodges responsibility. Brie is
Take Ownership to Close Sales Read More »
The buyer stood a couple of feet away from the exhibit table at the Farmers Market. Her eyes suggested that she was reading the sign posted above the salsas on display. Then again, she could have been eavesdropping on the conversation the woman vendor was having with another buyer. Kyle approached her ready to say
Dip into Reflection to Close More Sales Read More »
Sales professionals know that rapport is fundamental to making sales. Yet building rapport varies depending on the personality style of the other individual. Take Khan for example. His interest quickly wanes when you talk sports or ask about his personal life. He side-steps topics that touch on politics and religion. How then do you engage
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Super smart, very creative, and ultra-conservative, Steve found himself without a job in his mid-50’s. Married with two children, he lives in the burbs, drives a Prius, and likes to read science fiction in his spare time. Now he’s scrambling to find work and a means to support himself and his family. Socially Awkward Although
Not Too Smart to Close the Sale Read More »
It broke Doreen’s heart when her client told her he was disappointed with the job she did. No one likes to receive negative feedback and she was sure it was undeserved. She had done everything possible to please him. So she was surprised and baffled by his report. The Situation Doreen staged his home, a
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