You’ve heard plenty of cliche jokes about used car salesmen.  While my father spent two decades in the car business, I can tell you he was the exact opposite. My Dad is a humble man with a good heart. He wanted what was best for others and what was best for his family.  I was probably 7 years old when my mom took me to visit my dad at work. He was the finance manager for a local Ford Dealership. This was the 1970’s and the office carried the familiar scent of ashtrays and imitation leather. When I walked into his office I remember the contrast on one wall with a collection of shiny black and gold awards. I had no idea my Dad had won so many awards!

While he shuffled the papers on his desk, I asked him, “How did you win all these awards?” The papers stopped. He paused and looked at the wall. Then he said, “Well, I guess I’m pretty good at helping people get the cars they need for work and for driving their kids to school.” My Dad didn’t sell cars. He solved problems… and apparently he was very good at it!

#1: Focus on solving the problem for the customer

Never forget, customers are buying for a reason and I promise it’s not about helping you retire a quota. It all started for one reason and one reason only. They are trying to solve a problem. Whether their problem is described as a want or a need, they are looking for a solution. The most successful sales professionals approach every conversation with the solution to the problem as the focus. There’s no better way to show empathy in sales than to truly question to understand the needs of the customer.

#2: Control the process, not the buyer

The simple underlying sales truth in that statement never sunk in for me until after I read the book Solution Selling by Michael Bosworth. He approached sales with a 9-step process. His entire approach was based on one premise, “Control the process, not the buyer.” This can be done when you stay focused on helping the customer solve their problem instead of focusing on making a sale. When a salesperson tries to control the buyer it gives the prospect a feeling of being manipulated.

#3: Align with the customer’s buying process

No one wants to be seen as a “pushy” salesperson. You can avoid that pushy label by maintaining alignment with your customer’s decision-making process. That means you need to align your sales process with their buyer process.

While both the buyer and seller processes have been defined different ways over the years, they’re all fairly similar. At iSpeak we define the two processes like this:

1. Salesperson is PROSPECTING – Buyer is DEFINING a need
2. Salesperson is UNDERSTANDING needs – Buyer is SEARCHING for a solution
3. Salesperson is PRESENTING a solution – Buyer is ASSESSING options
4. Salesperson is COMPLETING the sale – Buyer is JUSTIFYING the risk
5. Salesperson is SERVICING the customer – Buyer is EVALUATING the purchase

When the sales person is in the presenting phase of the sales process, but the customer is still in the defining phase of the buyer process, the salesperson will be ahead of the buyer. In other words, the salesperson is presenting potential solutions but the buyer hasn’t even figured out exactly what they need yet! The salesperson is now pushy because they’re acting as if the buyer is already further along with their decision.

“ It’s about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the customer, not toe-to-toe. —RUSS PETERSON JR.

Don’t be pushy. Be professionally persistent!

You don’t want to be pushy, but you can be professionally persistent. This is done by actively listening to your customer for anything that confirms their current phase of the buyer process. Once you know their phase, you can take action to help them move to the next phase of their process, and one step closer to sales closure.

Remember, it’s not about going toe-to-toe with your customer to win a sale. It’s about standing shoulder-to-shoulderwith them to help them solve a problem. Help your prospects think through their decisions and move through their own buying process. You do that and you’ll start to retire more of that quota too.

Never stop improving,

Russ

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P. S. Here’s a list of some of my favorite sales books:

• Solution Selling, Michael Bosworth
• The New Strategic Selling, Miller – Heiman
• Hope is Not a Strategy – Rick Page
• SPIN Selling – Neil Rackham
• Cut the C.R.A.P and Make the Sale – by yours truly, Russ Peterson Jr.