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In
today’s challenging and fast-paced economic times, the roles
of selling professionals are changing. Why? Today’s buyers have changed.
They now want you to educate them, resolve their
problems, and offer excellent customer service long after the
sale is closed. They
tend to be more demanding in their expectations for you to
provide instant gratification of their needs and requests.
They also seem to know what they want and typically have
no qualms about telling you.
What
does this mean to you – the selling professional?
This means that you need to fine-tune the mindset as
successful selling professionals and assume the diversified
roles of educators, behavioral psychologists, problem-finders
and solution-makers, risk takers, customer service providers,
public relations experts and marketing specialists.
You must choose to be guided by the basic principle that
the selling process is actually a buying process involving
intensive listening and not simple talking. The selling-buying
process requires an expertise in the subject known as human
nature. Successful
selling professionals are continually reminded that their bottom
line (their numbers) will not be solely affected by what they
are selling, rather the primary impact on their sales will
depend on what the prospective buyers are actually buying.
This
selling-buying process involves the foundational component that
reinforces the projected image of confidence, composure and
credibility. Successful
selling professionals know that confidence, patience and
enthusiasm are just as contagious as doubt, hesitation and loss
of composure. They,
therefore, make conscious efforts in maintaining professional
(‘cool’) control to come across in more influential ways.
They realize that no one will buy from anyone who is
perceived as lacking knowledge as to how products and services
relate to the current and future trends of the buyer’s
industry and company visions.
They also realize that no one will buy from anyone who is
perceived as being unethically driven by self-interest rather
than what is good for the buyer. In other words, when selling professionals come across as
motivated to take short-term orders rather than motivated to
build long-term relationships that support the interests and
needs of the buyers, the need to buy will dwindle.
Another
basic component to the selling-buying process supports the
principle that this process involves both buying the self on the
part of the selling professional (you) as well as buying what is
being sold on the part of the customer (or buyer).
So what is the prospective buyer actually buying?
Basic psychology of human nature leads us to believe that
the following are a few of the human motives that drive the
buying curve: feeling
valued and appreciated, feeling listened to and understood,
feeling safe and secure, building public image, solving existing
problems, feeling in urgent need to buy and take care of
immediate needs, responding to seller’s delivery style of
enthusiasm and passion, being visionary and/or being the first,
feeling as if they are part of the decision-making process, etc.
In
short, selling in today’s economic culture is a massive
responsibility. It
is an innovative occupation that relies on highly energized
resources to increase knowledge, fine-tune persuasion skills,
and to service and please the customer.
To thrive and be successful in the 21st century, selling
professionals will choose to think and act like versatile
entrepreneurs who build long-term, productive relationships,
rather than be preoccupied with short-term numbers in sales.
Editors Note: Esther
Bogin, M.S., C.C.C., is founder and president of People
Communications Skills, LLC, owner, Motivator-On-Call.com
as well as a professor of Communications at Nassau Community
College. Her vast
expertise in interpersonal communication strategies help
business and professional people to move to their next level of
their inner achievement. www.motivator-on-call.com
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