There are 3 common sales call pitfalls that you should avoid when speaking with customers; and they are time-wasting errors. A Sales job is a tough job! No doubt about that. And it’s becoming tougher in today’s highly competitive market. Customers are more knowledgeable, more demanding, and have less time to discuss possible solutions with you. Face time with your customer is far too valuable to waste. Customers hate it when you waste their time, even when it’s partly their fault that you’re wasting it. So how would you avoid wasting your valuable customer’s time? Simply, avoid the following 3 common errors, and you will be safe:
1. Letting the sales call turn into a chat session.
Yes, building a relationship is part of the selling process, and a little chit-chat can help a customer feel more comfortable. That being said, you’re trying to forge a business relationship, not cultivate a new chum. Every sales call should either move the sale to the next step or identify what needs to happen before that next step can happen. Build the relationship, but avoid wasting time on useless talk. A simple way to direct the sales call and move it through is preparing ahead of time to have a clear objective of your sales call.
2. Trying to be your customer’s therapist.
From a sales perspective, it’s usually a good thing when customers open up and start talking about their job challenges. After all, your job is to solve your customer’s challenges, right? However, if your customer runs on about issues that aren’t relevant, a sales call can quickly become (literally) pointless. It’s up to you to guide the conversation into areas where you can actually help out. Have a two-way conversation with your customer, but with a fruitful, concise, and beneficial manner.
3. Interrogating rather than discussing.
It is true that if you want to be your customer’s consultant and problem solver you need to ask questions to identify your customer’s needs. However, some people become so aggressive and directive in the quest to uncover information about a customer that they come off like police investigators rather than business people. Rather than throwing out a string of questions, have a conversation that gradually leads to a better understanding, on both sides, of what needs doing. Interrogating is really dangerous since it may irritate your customer and even lead to block of the sales and losing that potential customer. Be a good listener. Try to be smooth in your questioning techniques in a way to show your customer that you are there to help & solve their challenges not to investigate them or take advantage of them.
So at the end, I believe when you avoid these 3 common sales call pitfalls when you talk with your customers, you will make the best use of the time given to you, demonstrate effectiveness and efficiency, exhibit professionalism, and build a long-term relationship with them that is build on mutual respect, trust, and appreciation. Go ahead and check by yourself!
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