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When the Sales Mentality Meets
the Buyer Mindset

It was a welcome telephone call. “I just want to stop by, say hello and let you know how much I appreciated your help back then.” Ten years had gone by since we had connected and I was looking forward to seeing this former business executive. A week or so later, he arrived on schedule. But from the start, I had an uneasy feeling this was something other than the “thanks for being there for me” get together he talked about on the phone.

It was. The other shoe dropped. The person sitting across from me was calling on his old contacts for a reason: he had something to sell.

Deception destroys credibility.

Then, there’s Jeff Bowers, CFP, vice president of Bowers Insurance, Hagerstown, MD, who initiated a policy review program for the agency’s personal insurance clients. He made it clear that this was a review only and there would be no attempt at selling. One of the first clients to participate said that it gave him an opportunity to ask questions and come away with a better understanding his insurance policies.

Is this a sales approach? Yes. There’s open discussion because the customer isn’t being put on the defensive. If insurance program deficiencies are uncovered in the review, these are noted and followed up later.

The policy review is not a gimmick to make a sale. It’s a strategy to build a relationship with customers based on an open, helpful interaction. It recognizes there are no substitutes for trust and confidence when it comes selling.

As the marketplace has become increasingly competitive, the “sales wizards” are coming out of the woodwork promising to transform poor, average and good salespeople into superstars.

One sales training company will show those who enroll how to wrestle customers to the mat and put a gun to their heads. The sales manager of a large environmental company had a painting on his wall of a boxing match with one fighter getting pounded into ropes. “That’s selling,” he said proudly.

Then there’s the current CRM or Customer Relationship Management craze, the latest attempt to gain control over the sales process. While many are eager to do anything to remove “sales” from their business cards, isn’t it really naïve to believe that changing the words makes a difference?

The immense growth in Internet marketing should send a powerful message to every sales organization that it’s no longer business as usual. Customers want to make their own decisions and they don’t want to go through time-consuming and unpleasant experiences with salespeople.

What so many companies, sales managers and salespeople don’t seem to understand is that a change in buyer mindset has rendered many of their sales efforts dysfunctional. It’s time to figure out that today’s customers have turned thumbs down on sales tricks, gimmicks and manipulation.

Whether in the consumer marketplace or B2B, two forces are driving a change in the buyer mindset:

1. Buying cycles begin with information. Fewer and fewer buyers start the buying process by looking to salespeople for information. They may start by looking at a product website, but they move on to reports, reviews and comparisons. They’re also turning to blogs to find out the experience of those who have used the product or service.

2. Customers enter the buying phase knowing the price they are willing to pay. It can be called “the Wal-Mart syndrome.” Knowing what they want, they decide in advance what they will pay.

The news reports on how Wal-Mart’s “our way or no way” of dealing with suppliers isn’t lost on buyers. Armed with more information and empowered by the example of others, they take control of the buying process. It’s a strategy that says, “If you want our business, here’s what it takes. Take it or leave it.” There seem to be few second chances or loyalty

This is the environment salespeople are operating in today and anyone who thinks they can break down the barrier by attempting to close too quickly is headed for trouble.

So, how are salespeople to cope with the prevailing––and pervasive––buyer mindset? There are several possibilities. For example, just look for the “low hanging fruit.” On any given day, there are those with needs. If you’re in the right place at the right time, you get the order. Every salesperson deserves to get lucky, but that’s no way to build a solid customer base.

While the current buyer mindset is pervasive and powerful, there are ways to overcome it. Here are a few:

1. Focus on the customer’s needs. Salespeople talk about understanding customer needs. Sales managers preach it. But experience suggests that most salespeople ignore it. They short circuit the sales process, jump to the close and kill sales.

The cable TV advertising salesperson asks a couple of questions and then emails an instant proposal that reflects no strategy and ignores the customer’s objectives. “We can get you on the air in April,” he says in a follow up phone call. His message is clear, although unspoken: “I want you to sign up now.” A few days later, he calls again, “I just want you to know that the good spots are filling up for April.”

Starting at the wrong end of the sales process ends in no sale. What salespeople seem to recognize is that what’s happening is transparent to buyers who write off the salesperson and the presentation.

2. Stop talking. Most of those in sales are really quite normal people and they do what normal people do, they talk about what they know best and what they know best is themselves and (sometimes) what they’re selling. It’s commonly called “the gift of gab” and it has no place in sales. In fact, it’s the problem.

Why should a buyer sit there listening to someone’s tired war stories? Buyers are normal people, too. They’re interested in their situation, their problems and their need to reduce costs. The salesperson’s true gift is getting the customer to talk.

What’s the first question many salespeople ask themselves (or whoever is with them) after meeting with a customer? It’s always the same: “How did I do?” That’s the wrong question. The correct question is quite different: “What did I learn?”

That’s a polite way of saying, “Shut up.”

3. Connect with knowledge. Salespeople look for ways to connect with customers. Some talk about their kids, others look to sports for common ground. Top salespeople use their knowledge to connect with customers. The best way to impress prospects is to let them discover that you really know what you’re talking about.

A customer asked his company’s audio-visual equipment supplier about a particular LCD projector. The salesperson listened carefully and then asked the customer a series of questions as to how the projector would be used. After hearing the answers, the salesperson indicated the limitations of the particular projector based on the answers and then made his recommendation. Because his case was convincing, the recommendation was accepted.

The value of knowledge in sales is that it conveys a sense of respect and regard for the customer. If customers aren’t learning from a salesperson, they should get a different one.

4. Show enthusiasm. A recent study by Civic Enterprises makes it clear that uninteresting classes are the major cause of high school students dropping out of school. Adults refuse to tolerate boring presenters, boring TV shows, boring speakers and boring meetings. Why should students put up with boring teachers?

In the same way, why should customers be expected to endure boring salespeople who lack genuine enthusiasm for what they are doing? In fact, they come across as if they don’t even believe in what they’re selling. On the other hand, the real estate agent who gets prospective buyers excited before they see a property is actually building a positive buying environment.

Why is Tiger Woods such a compelling figure and quintessential salesperson for causes, products and services? The answer is clear: he comes across as genuine and competent, and exudes enthusiasm for what he does. Enthusiasm sends the message that salespeople care.

5. Stay the course. Selling is a marathon activity, even though most salespeople like to think of themselves as sprinters. Unfortunately, they often sprint away from sales. They feel they should control the customer. If customers don’t respond according to the salesperson’s expectations, they abandon them––not just for the moment, but forever.

Everyone has had calls from the salesperson that has just replaced someone who has left. “I was looking over the files and see that Diane talked to you in 2003. Are you still interested?” When this happens to me, I’m surprised how many times I respond by saying, “I’m sorry, but we made that purchase a few months later from another company.”

The heart of sales today is managing leads and with the technology available there is no reason why the average salesperson can’t handle an almost endless number of prospects effectively.

Going the distance is the test.

While writing this article, a meeting took place with a prospective client that brought the customer mindset message into focus. I asked why the business executive had contacted our firm.

“We called three agencies,” he said. “The first one wanted to charge a fee, but didn’t tell us what we would get for it. The next one wanted to know how much we expected to spend and the third agency reeled off a lot of big name clients that didn’t make much sense. Then we called you. You acted as if you were interested in speaking with us.”

It’s really not so complicated after all.

© 2006 Graham Communications

John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm. Mr. Graham is the author of four books on marketing and sales, including Break the Rules Selling: Success Strategies that Beat the Competition (Superior Books). Mr. Graham writes for a variety of marketing and sales columns for business and trade publications and he presents his Magnet Power presentations at company and association meetings. He can be contacted at 40 Oval Rd., Quincy, MA 02170; by telephone at 617-328-0069; by fax at 617-471-1504; or by email at j_graham@grahamcomm.com. The web site is grahamcomm.com.