Do you realize technology can do as much harm as good when it comes to your sales process?
Consider a statistic cited in a recent Harvard Business Review article where 100,000 decision makers were interviewed about vendor selection and 39 percent said the salesperson was the major reason for their choice; above price, product or service features, and quality.
My guess is these decision makers trusted the salesperson. But what does trust mean and how is it developed during the sales process?
First, trust has two components.
There is an emotional component, where people feel comfortable sharing information believing not only that it won't be used against them, but conversely that it will help them.
There is also a logical component based on predictable behavior. You do what you say you will do. Your word is good. Likability is developed through both components; people trust people they like, and people like people they trust.
So how do you become likable? Begin by understanding that people want to be heard and understood. They want you to listen to them. They want to believe that you value their priorities in addition to your own. If you can sincerely practice this very basic act of building trust it will serve you well.
Add product and industry knowledge with likability to establish professional credibility and you are on your way.
Second, when it comes to the sales process, there are so many productivity and effectiveness tools available for sales people that you can lose sight of the crucial issue of trust amidst all the gadgets.
There are hardware tools like laptops and notepads. There are smartphones that allow easy access to e-mail, texting, voice communications and the internet. There are software tools such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and presentation tools that provide and help deliver incredibly powerful ideas. Lastly, there are information sources for prospect and industry research that are almost infinite.
Each of these productivity tools plays an important role in prospecting, qualifying, presenting and managing the sales process. However, they are so convenient and broad based that the temptation to use them may blind you to the personal element necessary to build trust.
Here are a few examples of technology trust traps:
• Texting or e-mailing can become substitutes for phone calls or lunch meetings.
• Researching a prospect through Linkedin while incredibly helpful can be an excuse for not calling.
• Assembling a presentation with company history, product video's, compelling testimonials, and detailed implementation schedules seems awesome, but may be a negative if you do not really understand the prospect's budget and decision making process, not addressing their needs.
Simply put you must ask yourself through every step of the sales process, is what you are doing building trust or not? How much time do you spend with a prospect listening and learning about their needs and desires as a person and an organization?
As simple as it sounds, it is not easily practiced, technology is too tempting. If nothing else, start with awareness.
Swette can be reached at [email protected]
Consider a statistic cited in a recent Harvard Business Review article where 100,000 decision makers were interviewed about vendor selection and 39 percent said the salesperson was the major reason for their choice; above price, product or service features, and quality.
My guess is these decision makers trusted the salesperson. But what does trust mean and how is it developed during the sales process?
First, trust has two components.
There is an emotional component, where people feel comfortable sharing information believing not only that it won't be used against them, but conversely that it will help them.
There is also a logical component based on predictable behavior. You do what you say you will do. Your word is good. Likability is developed through both components; people trust people they like, and people like people they trust.
So how do you become likable? Begin by understanding that people want to be heard and understood. They want you to listen to them. They want to believe that you value their priorities in addition to your own. If you can sincerely practice this very basic act of building trust it will serve you well.
Add product and industry knowledge with likability to establish professional credibility and you are on your way.
Second, when it comes to the sales process, there are so many productivity and effectiveness tools available for sales people that you can lose sight of the crucial issue of trust amidst all the gadgets.
There are hardware tools like laptops and notepads. There are smartphones that allow easy access to e-mail, texting, voice communications and the internet. There are software tools such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and presentation tools that provide and help deliver incredibly powerful ideas. Lastly, there are information sources for prospect and industry research that are almost infinite.
Each of these productivity tools plays an important role in prospecting, qualifying, presenting and managing the sales process. However, they are so convenient and broad based that the temptation to use them may blind you to the personal element necessary to build trust.
Here are a few examples of technology trust traps:
• Texting or e-mailing can become substitutes for phone calls or lunch meetings.
• Researching a prospect through Linkedin while incredibly helpful can be an excuse for not calling.
• Assembling a presentation with company history, product video's, compelling testimonials, and detailed implementation schedules seems awesome, but may be a negative if you do not really understand the prospect's budget and decision making process, not addressing their needs.
Simply put you must ask yourself through every step of the sales process, is what you are doing building trust or not? How much time do you spend with a prospect listening and learning about their needs and desires as a person and an organization?
As simple as it sounds, it is not easily practiced, technology is too tempting. If nothing else, start with awareness.
Swette can be reached at [email protected]