I’ve seen a few “10 commandments” of selling floating around and it made me think – what are the “rules” that I live by? It’s hard to get this list much smaller – all of these things are important. The good news is that you can personally work at being your best at all of these. So here goes…
- Be friendly and build rapport. People buy from people they like.
- Be open and honest – people appreciate the truth. Don’t promise on something you can’t deliver.
- Generate confidence and trust.
- Research your customer and think about their issues and needs.
- Ask great questions. Have a reason to follow up.
- Listen – the customer is telling you what they need.
- Make sure you deliver what they want (stay across delivery issues and address them early).
- Get a system (and CRM) that works for you and use it. Things like number of calls/day, follow up, etc.
- Be enthusiast and believe in what you are selling. Have passion for your company and product.
- Ultimately it’s about the customer, not you. Focus on helping them and everything else falls into place.
A big one for me recently was number nine. I generally have passion and enthusiasm for everything I do, but I didn’t believe in the company I was working for – so I left. I can thank Jeffrey Gitomer for helping me make that decision.
What are the rules that you live by? They might be slightly different, but it’s worth thinking about them – as Earl Nightingale once said “we become what we think”. Good luck.
Craig Hansom. 18 December 2009.
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