Attitude, Behavior, Technique
Isn’t it interesting, that attitude is widely touted for sales people but no one signs up for courses or workshops on attitude? Those same sales people, who have a great attitude with clients, are allowed and sometimes condoned for their antics and outrageous behavior because they bring in lots of sales or new accounts. What gets forgotten is that without the professionalism of core selling skills, they have no technique to back them up.
Clients are smarter, more knowledgeable and much more selective than ever before. They screen sales calls and offers, to meet their own agenda. A sales person who is a charming conversationalist may think he’s converted a lead to a warm prospect, when in fact he was being used to scope out competitive information to compare to an offer the prospect already has on the table.
Aggressive or overly persistent salespeople are not tolerated at all. They are misled or ignored hoping they’ll go away. No one has time to even tell them to go away.
On the other hand, there are critical skills for success in sales today. Three of them are:
- Good attitude
- Behavior consistent with a good work ethic and drive
- Effective techniques for prospecting, qualifying, addressing objections and procrastination, presenting, and closing.
Good attitude
You can do anything if you start with a positive attitude. Attitude is a great barometer of accomplishment. In sales, attitude also includes self-concept, internal (not external) motivation and drive, a willingness to accept challenges and an openness to change and new ideas in order to grow, learn and improve skills.
There is a big difference between the cheery clerk at the convenience store who remembers your name and the guy at the furniture store who never learned to smile.
Just because someone wants the big commissions of a sales position, does not mean they will like the job or excel at it. Without a good attitude they will not achieve their goal and risk damaging your relationship with key prospects.
Behavior consistent with a strong work ethic and drive.
In the context of your business, this means people are willing to do the activities that bring success every day. These are daily systems and procedures that make the most of each contact, opportunity or research. This means during regular work hours they maximize business-generating activities, practice consistent and productive use of time, and work smarter – which does not have to mean working longer.
We all know someone who is at their desk for endless hours but never seems to complete a task or go home. I know a woman in tech support who fixes more software bugs and answers more client problems than anyone in sales support or tech support combined. That’s because she’s all business when she’s at work and when she goes home to her husband, she leaves work behind.
Effective Techniques for prospecting, qualifying, addressing objections and procrastination, presenting, and closing.
In sales, is it clear who leads this buyer-seller ‘dance’ in your company? Does your assigned salesperson have the combined skill set to lead the process? Or is the buyer always in control? If a sales person falls short in any area, they can’t achieve their potential and end up short changing your company’s goals too.
Look at each person on your sales team – including yourself. How well does each person score on all three attributes?
Look at everyone in your organization and how they engage your clients. A positive attitude, behavior aligned with the corporate mission, and effective sales techniques are equally important and interdependent attributes for anyone in sales, support, marketing, or accounting – in fact everyone who is in a position to help the company prosper and achieve its goals.
If necessary, provide individualized training and coaching to help each person excel in all three areas. Not only will each team member benefit, but the increased return to the company will be measurable in a very short time.
