Traps Are Not Just Found on the Fairways
Business Management, Sales August 8th. 2009, 1:21pmA lot of business is conducted on the golf course between the fairways and the putting greens. Golf is a great analogy for how you approach sales or even the overall sales process.
Every golf course has traps to keep the golfer from successfully reaching the golf pin using the pre-determined number of strokes. When selling your products and services, you also discover sales objections or traps that keep you from successfully earning the right to do business.
The question to be asked is three-fold:
1. Do you know what these sales traps are?
2. Do you know how to avoid these obstacles
3. Do you know how to get out of them if you were not able to avoid them?
To answer the first question requires you as the salesperson to:
- Know your marketplace
- Know your potential customers (a.k.a. sales prospects)
From your past experiences with existing clients, you should have a fairly good idea where there are existing sales objections preventing you from earning (closing) the commitment. Some common traps are:
- Price
- Time
- Quality
- Solution match (Is this the best solution for the existing circumstances?)
- Existing relationships with other vendors
- Complacency (Happy with my situation)
Now to avoid these obstacles suggests that you have pre-determined answers followed up by specific fact finding questions leading the sales prospect back to the fairway so to speak. Each industry is unique. However through effective fact finding question and a thorough knowledge base along with a proven sales process you should be able to avoid most of these sales objections.
Even the best of golfers sometimes find themselves at the edge of the green in the sand with the pin close and yet so far. The best way to extricate yourself from such a situation is with direct questions that address the objection to your proposed solution. For example if price is keeping you from gaining commitment, then restate what you know specific to what the customer wants to achieve. Sometimes the sales professional may think it is overall price and it may be just one item within the presentation. Sales Coaching Tip: A powerful word to keep you out of the traps or to make sure you do not return to a previous one is Agreement. By securing agreement as you walk your potential customer through the sales process creates both a conscious and subconscious contract.
To be successful in the selling arena does require a lot of practice and staying on top of your game. By taking these actions, you can increase sales by avoiding most of those traps lining your path to sales success.
Are the sales behaviors of your team or even yourself where you want them to be? If not, then you may discover an easy read on how to increase sales in this book, Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, the Keys to Unlocking Sales Success including looking at your sales approach.
Chicago Sales Coach Leanne Hoagland Smith helps with selling skills through this free sales assessment along with sales coaching, leadership to sales management development.
