7 Ways to Stop "Selling" & Start Building Relationships

 

By Ari Galper

Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep us from 
backsliding into old ways of thinking about selling that 
lead us down the wrong path with potential clients. 

I was inspired to write this article after a few coaching 
sessions with a client named Michael, who sells a technology 
solution. Michael had been struggling with a mental block 
about how to detach from the traditional sales thinking he 
had learned from old-school sales "gurus". 

You know who they are. You may even have some of their books  or tapes. And you know their sales messages too: "Always be  closing," "Think positive, and you'll overcome all your 
cold calling fears," "All you need to boost your sales is 
a few new sales techniques." 

But all these outdated sales messages fail to address the 
core issue of how we think about selling. And unless we get 
to that core, and change it once and for all, we'll go on 
struggling with the same counterproductive sales behaviors. 
We'll go on experiencing the same difficulties and 
frustrations. And we'll continue to believe that we're 
always just one new sales technique away from the 
breakthrough we're looking for. 

New Thinking = New Results

Maybe it's time to take a different approach. Maybe we need 
to seriously analyze our sales thinking so we can identify 
why we're not making more sales. Take a look at the table 
below and think about your current selling mindset. How would 
your selling behaviors change if you changed your sales 
thinking? 

Let's take a closer look at these central Unlock The Game™ 
concepts so you can begin to open up your current sales 
thinking and become more effective in your selling 
activities: 

1) Stop the sales pitch -- and start a conversation.

When you call someone, avoid making a mini-presentation 
about yourself, your company, and what you have to offer. 
Start with an opening conversational phrase that focuses on 
a specific problem that your product or service solves. If 
you don't know what this is, ask your current customers why 
they purchased your solution. One example of an opening 
phrase might be, "I'm just calling to see if you'd be 
open to some different ideas related to lowering the risk of 
any computer downtime you may be having in your company?" 
Notice that you are not pitching your solution with this 
opening phrase. 

2) Your central goal is always to discover whether you and 
your potential client are a good fit.

Let go of trying to "close the sale" or "get the 
appointment"-- and you will discover that you don't have 
to take responsibility for moving the sales process forward. 
If you simply focus your conversation on problems that you 
can help potential clients solve, and if you don't jump the 
gun by trying to move the sales process forward, you will 
find that potential clients will actually bring you into 
their buying process. 

3) When you lose a sale, it's usually right at the 
beginning of the  sales process.

If you believe that you lose sales because you make a 
mistake at the end of the process, take a look back at how 
you began the relationship. Did you start with a 
presentation? Did you use traditional sales language like, 
"We have a solution that I believe you really need" or 
"Others in your industry have bought our solution, so you 
should consider it as well"? 

When you use traditional sales language, potential clients 
can't help but label you with the negative stereotype of 
"salesperson." This makes it almost impossible for them to 
relate to you from a position of trust. And if trust isn't 
established at the outset, honest communication about the 
problems they're trying to solve, and how you might be able  to help them, becomes impossible too. 

4) Sales pressure is the only cause of rejection. Rejection 
should never happen.

Rejection happens for only one reason: Something you said, 
as subtle as it might have been, triggered a defensive 
reaction from your potential client. Yes, something you 
said. To eliminate rejection, simply shift your mindset so 
that you give up the hidden agenda of hoping to make a sale. 
Instead, everything you say and do should stem from the 
basic mindset that you are there to help potential clients. 
This makes you able to ask, "Would you be open to talking 
about issues you might be having affecting your business?" 

5) Never chase a potential client--you'll only trigger more 
sales pressure. 

"Chasing" potential clients has always been considered 
normal and necessary, but it's rooted in the macho selling 
image that, "If you don't keep chasing, it means you're 
giving up -- and that means you're a failure." This is 
dead wrong! Instead of chasing potential clients, tell them 
that you would like to avoid anything that resembles the old 
cat-and-mouse chasing game by scheduling a time for your 
next chat. 

6) When a potential client offers objections, uncover the 
truth behind them.

Most traditional sales programs spend a lot of time focusing 
on "overcoming objections." These tactics only put more 
sales pressure on potential clients and also fail to explore 
or understand the truth behind what the potential client is 
saying. When you hear, "We don't have the budget," "Send 
me information," or "Call me in a few months," do you 
think you're hearing the truth, or do you suspect that 
these are polite evasions designed to end the conversation? 

Rather than trying to counter objections, you can uncover 
the truth by replying, "That's not a problem" -- no 
matter what clients are "objecting" to -- and then using 
gentle, dignified language that invites them to reveal the 
truth about their situation. 

7) Never defend yourself or what you have to offer --
it only creates more sales pressure.

When a potential client says, "Why should I choose you over 
your competition?," your first, instinctive reaction is 
probably to start defending your product or service because 
you want to convince them to buy. But what do you think goes 
through your potential client's mind at that point? 

Something like, "This 'salesperson' is trying to sell me 
on why what they have to offer is better, but I hate feeling 
as if I'm being sold." Rather than defending yourself, try 
suggesting that you aren't going to try to convince them of 
anything because that would only create sales pressure. 
Instead, ask them about the key problems that they are 
trying to solve, and then explore how your product or 
service might solve those problems --without ever trying to 
persuade.. Let potential clients feel that they can choose 
you without feeling "sold." 

Sceptical that these ideas can't possibly work? For proof 
that these ideas are incredibly effective and easy to learn, 
take a look at the real stories from real people like you 
who have made the leap to Unlock The Game™. 

Ari Galper is the Founder of Unlock The Game™, the only 
sales program designed to eliminate sales pressure. To read 
and listen to free audio and e-book samples of Unlock The 
Game™, visit www.UnlockTheGame.com