After more than 30 years of selling, an old salesman friend gets ready to retire.
First question I asked him is what he thought his secret of success was. He said, ” I always gave the customer what they wanted. ” Pretty simple… I like simple, you know.
” Not only in product and price, but in their salesman’s qualities. ”
What do you mean by that ?
He said, ” All things being equal, price, delivery date, quality, etc., the customer will go with the salesman that they like the most. ” More, fairly simple human nature kinda stuff.
I asked him to tell me what you think are the qualities that customers want in their salesperson.
Here’s a rambling account of what he said :
First thing they want is a smile. I’ve heard horror stories of salesmen who come in and lay a line about sickness, divorce, financial difficulties, etc. on the customer and then I came in later with a smile and took home the purchase order. Never complain about ANYTHING in their office. Nothing.
They also look for a salesperson with a big dose of tolerance. I just did a post about tolerance, so check that out.
They also want you to be confident. They need an ” Uh, I’ve never been asked that. Does our product even do that ? ” like they need a third ear on their head.
Sympathy and tact also come up big. You know that things happen, especially with paperwork and big business, so allow for the inevitable and handle it with tact.
Unselfishness comes in handy and often gets you more than you bargained for in return.
I’ve had a customer ask me to not get upset and allow him to give an order I wanted to a competitior. ” They’ve got to eat, too. “, was my reply and 2 weeks later I got an order that was 3 times the size as the one I’d hoped for. Take your losses like a big boy and start working for the next order.
Never boast or brag about your sales ability in front of a customer. You just make him think he’s getting a sales job put on him.
That’s a great start and more than enough to make you a King Daddy or Queen Mama salesperson. Can you add to this conversation with what you like from a salesperson who calls on you ?
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