Why Salespeople Fail
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"It's a battle of the plans, and the person with the stronger plan wins," says Steven Kraner at Hightechguru.com, and it's the main reason why high-tech salespeople fail. Technology buyers are often formally trained to manage salespeople, extract as much information as possible and maintain control over the sales process. And buyers often mislead salespeople only to use a seller's proposal to negotiate a better deal with a competitor. Sound familiar? Here are four other reasons why salespeople fail.
Salespeople talk to the wrong people. Sixty percent of the time the sale falls through. That's because salespeople are afraid to weed out false prospects and are more comfortable pitching to lower-level buyers.
Salespeople talk too much, and don't listen enough. Salespeople get comfortable rehashing the same pitch instead of focusing on the buyer and eliciting what he needs. "Seek first to understand" the buyer's problem, then you can sell them a solution.
Too much focus on price. "Study after study confirms that quality and services are almost always more important than price," according to Kraner. "If you are effective in asking questions and getting to real issues ... then you can sell at a premium over your competitor's price."
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Comments
While this post offers sound advice when it comes to traditional sales mantra, I would offer a different perspective...Stop Selling and Add Value: http://www.n2growth.com/blog/stop-selling-and-add-value
I really appreciate this approach i.e going for "no". The ABC (always be closing) or "Coffee is for Closers" method was intended for door-to-door bible salesmen 50 years ago. I think it's more about finding your niche and becoming a trusted advisor.
I would agree that one of the most important things to do is add value to your customer by creating a sense of trust and confidence in you. They say your client must first buy you before he will buy your product. People do focus too much on price but if you deliver on the other intangibles, price becomes secondary although an important piece of what you offer.