Selling needs and not wants.

When is the last time you got an unsolicited cold call? Was it painful, entertaining or maybe rude? Some sales people seem to think that rattling off all sorts of features will somehow compel someone to buy.  In the past that was a great way to sell vacuum cleaners and many products but in today’s world, it just doesn’t work.

Sales people would be far better off when engaging a new prospect by being up front about who they are and admit that they don’t know if they have a product to sell that fits the customers needs.  There are many ways to do this but it’s critical that when training your sales people you make sure this is in the front of their minds.

This type of approach will not ensure a sale or even a follow up call.  It will however make you stand out from the hundreds of other calls that the gate keeper and decision maker get on a weekly basis.   At the end of the day customers buy the salesperson as much as they buy the product or service.  You’ve got to stick out and make sure you find out what they need vs. what you want them to need.

So the next time you pick the phone to call a prospect take a minute or two remind yourself about what you’re doing. Your goal should be to help find out what the customer needs and not what you want to sell.  If you don’t have the product that fit’s their needs then don’t damage the relationship. Get a referral and move on to your next customer.