Joseph Harrington

It’s a common misperception for salespeople to be seen as untrustworthy folks trying to cheat others out of their hard-earned money. That’s a reality salespeople face every day. Because of this, a salesperson needs to have a myriad of skills to be successful. First, salespeople need to be able to identify a problem or pain point, then find a solution. Thus, a salesperson first and foremost must be a clear communicator and an investigator. A salesperson needs a stranger to trust and know their time is valuable and time taken to explain issues is a feat within itself. Once the trust is given to have that conversation, it’s time to dig. Is it price? Is it service? Before we can ever solve those needs, as salespeople, we must first define and understand those needs.

Usually, when a customer tells us a problem, the customer typically believes they know the answer. This is where a good sales professional transitions from communicator/investigator to educator/negotiator. This requires a strong knowledge of every product and how those products work to determine whether or not it is a viable solution for the customer’s problem. Once we know how to solve the problem, we begin to position the solution to the customer the same way we see it. This becomes the value build stage. We don’t tell the merchant it will fix the problem; we state what the product/service can do and ask if they feel it would help solve their problem. Sales isn’t really about telling a customer what they need. It’s showing them you have a better solution to their problem and being open-minded to their reservations in order to make that change. It isn’t about price as much as it’s about value; value in the product or service you are offering and value in the relationship you can offer.

A salesperson spends a great deal of time building and earning the trust of the customer. As aforementioned, we are entering a situation where most customer’s have a jaded view of salespeople’s motivations, when in reality in most instances, we only benefit if the customer benefits. In sales, you must be able to shift lanes on the fly as you never know what the customer is going to throw your way and you must be able to identify the needs of the customer and then communicate your suggestions in a meaningful way.

Some of the most influential people in history were salespeople. Sales is just the ability to convince someone of an idea or thought. George Washington was a great salesman. He convinced farmers the value of freedom was so important, they took on the world’s strongest Army and Navy to achieve it. Sales is the profession of convincing people to exchange old ideas for new ideas, so that all involved may benefit. Sales is a profession of developing strategies to bring those new ideas to the surface so everyone who is in need of your service or product can benefit from it.

Most salespeople in our industry will speak to 40 potential customers and from those 40, only 10 are true opportunities to sit and have a meaningful conversation with a business owner. From those 10, you’re lucky if you sign 2 or 3 customers. In our profession, we hear ‘no’ far more than we hear ‘yes’, yet the products and services are the same. It’s all in the approach and allowing customers to realize the benefits on their own. In sales, we must leave our egos at the door. We don’t bring preconceived notions into a sales meeting. All we can bring is our listening ears, our knowledge of how to solve a wide variety of problems and our ability to build the value behind that solution. If we do our job well, the customer will be able to see a new way of doing business and we have earned their trust, their respect and their business. If not, it’s on to the next door.